Weathervane Wednesday ~ Seen in Gloucester, Massachusetts

Every Wednesday for more than three years we have been posting photographs of weather vanes located in or near the Nutfield area (the former name for the land where Londonderry, Derry and Windham, New Hampshire are now located). Most are historically interesting or just whimsical and fun weather vanes. Today's weather vane can be found in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Have fun guessing where you may have seen this weather vane.

Do you know the location of weather vane #173? Scroll down to see the answer....

This interesting weather vane was seen atop a chimney at the very large Beauport Mansion in Gloucester, Massachusetts.  Today this is a museum house operated by Historic New England.  It is the former home of Henry Davis Sleeper, built beginning in 1907.  Construction lasted 27 years on this house. Sleeper was a collector of Americana, early American furnishings, and he was an interior decorator, so the additions to the mansion went on and on over decades.  This weather vane might have been part of his collection, since it is very similar to the one pictured below.

This second version of the same type of weather vane was photographed at the Shelburne Museum in Vermont.  It is from about 1880, and shows the same image of a Native American attacking a mountain lion.  The card from the museum describes the mythology of the image.  This myth is supposed to be an American version of St. George and the Dragon, or perhaps Heracles slaying the lion. 

Beauport, The Sleeper-McCann House in Gloucester, Massachusetts:

http://www.historicnewengland.org/historic-properties/homes/Beauport 

The Shelburne Museum    https://shelburnemuseum.org/ 

Click here to see all the Weathervane Wednesday posts 

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Copyright (c) 2014, Heather Wilkinson Rojo