Weathervane Wednesday~ A converted fire house

Weathervane Wednesday is an on-going series of photographs I post weekly.  I started by publishing weather vanes from the Londonderry area, but now I've been finding interesting weather vanes all across New England.  Sometimes my weather vanes are whimsical, or historical, but all are interesting. Often, my readers tip me off to some very unique and unusual weather vanes, too!

Today's weather vane  is from somewhere in New Hampshire.

Do you know the location of weather vane #192? Scroll down to see the answer!

This weathervane was photographed on the Firehouse Block Apartments on Warren Street in Concord, New Hampshire. It is a four foot long horse drawn Amoskeag fire pumper, covered in gold leaf.  It was built by Cushing & White Company of Waltham Massachusetts around 1871, and cost $200 back then.  It is remarkably detailed, and a pair of binoculars is needed to see all the fantastic small details. The Central Fire Station opened in 1875.

In 1980 the firefighters, when this was the Central Fire Station, removed this weather vane during a rash of weather vane thefts throughout New Hampshire.  A weather vane just like this one was stolen from the Amherst Street fire station in Nashua.  They put it inside as part of a museum.  The city debated ownership of this weathervane for many years.

When this fire station was renovated for housing, the weather vane was restored and replaced on top of the bell tower, next to lightning rod, it's original position.

Star News, 24 July 1988, "Antique Weathervane stirs up trouble", by Martha Englert, Associated Press
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1454&dat=19880724&id=ZtdOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=yBMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7140,2799035


Firehouse Block Apartments  
http://www.waboston.com/management/16-management/new-hampshire/26-firehouse-block-apartments

Click here to see the entire Weathervane Wednesday series

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http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/01/weathervane-wednesday-converted-fire.html

Copyright (c) 2015, Heather Wilkinson Rojo