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Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Weathervane Wednesday - At Londonderry Historical Society

I've been collecting photographs of the many, many weathervanes in the Nutfield area (Derry and Londonderry, New Hampshire). I decided to start a new meme at my blog called "Weathervane Wednesday" to feature some of this photography. If you want a challenge, I'll post the locations at the bottom of the page so you can scroll down far enough to see the photo, but not the location, and try to guess where you may have seen these lovely weathervanes.

Weathervanes are a form of folk art now featured in fine art museum such as Boston's Museum of Fine Arts, and at the Currier Gallery Museum in Manchester, New Hampshire. Prices for weathervanes have risen dramatically at recent auctions, and many have become victims of theft and vandalism. By appreciating their beauty and history, perhaps we can preserve the weathervanes of New Hampshire.

Can you guess the location of weather vane #4?



The Robie House is at the corner of Mammoth and Nashua Road (Rt. 102) in Londonderry, New Hampshire, next to the CVS pharmacy.  In 1998 the Robie estate was sold at auction, and members of the Londonderry Historical Society bid for the weathervane that stood on top of the Robie barn, but were outbid by a well heeled antiques dealer.  Fortunately, after the auction the dealer realized he had bid against the Historical Society, and graciously sold the weathervane back to the Society for the exact price he paid.

This running horse weathervane is now in Morrison House museum.  It is made of copper and was painted gold several times over the 19th century.  Now it is exhibited inside, as part of the permanent collection with other artifacts from Londonderry history.

...and weather vane #5?



The Historical Society also has a weathervane of a horse and buggy on top of the barn at the Morrison House complex.  This can be seen over the apple orchard and beside the Morrison house.  Horse weathervanes of all types and variations seem to be the most common weathervanes in Londonderry, and I'll be showcasing some of them here on Weathervane Wednesdays at this Nutfield Genealogy blog.

Click here to see the other weather vanes in this series

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Copyright 2011, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

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