Look up for some signs of history or whimsy, in particular when the wind blows.Weather vanes have been around for two thousand years, telling sailors and farmers the direction of the wind. Now they are more ornamental or symbolic in nature. The designs and figures can tell a lot about the buildings or homeowners that reside beneath them.
They are an artform in themselves, many hand-crafted from copper or gold-gilded steel. Designs range from simple arrows to a wide variety of creatures, legged and finned. They also represent our history of sailing and whaling which once drove the New England economy. Who hasn’t seen a weather vane of a clipper ship or a whale on the South Shore?
In Quincy, there is the large golden arrow and wagon wheel weather vane on top of the “Church of Presidents” in Quincy Square, sitting high on top of the church’s golden dome. Or one shaped like a Viking ship, with a crescent moon cut into its copper sail, which looks to have been struck by lightning a few times in its life. A golden herring sits atop the 1912 Weymouth Town Hall, the building a replica of the original Massachusetts State House in Boston.
In Scituate, there plenty of sailboats, whales and tuna fish. Hingham has horses, cows and golden arrows.
New homes tend to feature more personal weather vanes, like an elephant on top of a Quincy home named “Elephant House” on Adams Shore. Or a bull on a Norwell stockbroker’s home. A dairy cow stands on top of the Marshfield Fair Horticultural Hall during fair days. It has been stolen and returned on occasion, so they take it down in the off season.
Readers, did we miss a great weather vane? Let us know! Email newsroom@patriotledger.com to tell us about other great South Shore weather vanes.
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Weather vanes add function, character to several South Shore buildings