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…