An ivy stone or Ivy Day stone is a class memorial stone unveiled at annual Ivy Day

Ivy Day

Ivy Day was formerly observed on October 6 in Ireland, in memory of the prominent nationalist politician Charles Stewart Parnell . James Joyce's short story, "Ivy Day in the Committee Room", features several Irish politicians who fail to live up to Parnell's memory...

 celebrations at older colleges in the Northeastern United States.

History

Ivy stones are often placed on the sides of academic buildings at several American universities and colleges that are in the Ivy League

Ivy League

The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...

 or considered Little Ivies

Little Ivies

Little Ivies is a colloquialism referring to a group of small, selective American liberal arts colleges; however, it does not denote any official organization....

. Since 1873 at the University of Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...

 and since 1879 at Bates College

Bates College

Bates College is a highly selective, private liberal arts college located in Lewiston, Maine, in the United States. and was most recently ranked 21st in the nation in the 2011 US News Best Liberal Arts Colleges rankings. The college was founded in 1855 by abolitionists...

, students have unveiled class ivy stones at the annual ivy day

Ivy Day

Ivy Day was formerly observed on October 6 in Ireland, in memory of the prominent nationalist politician Charles Stewart Parnell . James Joyce's short story, "Ivy Day in the Committee Room", features several Irish politicians who fail to live up to Parnell's memory...

 preceding commencement. Princeton University

Princeton University

Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....

also places class ivy stones on the walls of its buildings.