The Matadero in Madrid, Spain for Weathervane Wednesday

 This weathervane was photographed at the Matadero in Madrid, Spain.  It is located at the Plaza de Chopera in the Arganzuela neighborhood. The weathervane is above the Cultural Center Casa de Reloj. 

The Matadero cultural center in Madrid is a former slaughterhouse, previously called El Matadero y Mercado Municipal de Ganados. It was built in 1925 and closed in 1996.  It reopened as a cultural and arts center in 2006.  There are buildings for the visual arts, concerts, archives, theaters, expositions, and more. We attended an exhibit on the Titanic disaster there in September 2024.  That's when we spotted this banner style weathervane on the tower of the Casa del Reloj.

The Casa del Reloj (The Clock House) is at the far end of the Matadero.  It was the former central services pavilion for the slaughterhouse, but now it provides services for a retirement home for senior citizens.  It has 2 exhibition halls, a large auditorium, and 14 classrooms. 

For the truly curious:

Matadero Madrid at Wikipedia (English)  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matadero_Madrid  

Click here to see almost 550 Weathervane Wednesday posts from New England and around the world:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/search/label/Weathervane%20Wednesday  

----------------------

To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "The Matadero in Madrid, Spain for Weathervane Wednesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted December 18, 2024, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2024/12/the-matadero-in-madrid-spain-for.html: accessed [access date]). 

At the Royal Palace of Aranjuez for Weathervane Wednesday

 This weathervane was photographed at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez, outside of Madrid, Spain. 

This gilded weathervane is above the palace at Aranjuez.  The banner style weathervane revolves under a gilded cross. 

This royal residence was originally a hunting lodge for Philip II.  It has been expanded, remodeled, and rebuilt many times over the years, and suffered extensive damage by a fire in 1748.  There are many luxurious Baroque style rooms inside, including a ballroom, a throne room, a music room and a billiard room. The "Gabinete de Porcelana" or Porcelain Room is the most famous.  It is completely covered with porcelain with a marble floor.  

This palace was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001.  It is open to the public, including the extensive gardens and grounds. 

The famous Porcelain Room 

For the truly curious:

Patrimonio Nacional Royal Palace of Aranjuez website:   https://www.patrimonionacional.es/en/visita/royal-palace-aranjuez    

Click here to see almost 550 Weathervane Wednesday posts from New England and around the world:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/search/label/Weathervane%20Wednesday   

---------------------------

To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "At the Royal Palace of Aranjuez for Weathervane Wednesday", posted December 11, 2024, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2024/12/at-royal-palace-of-aranjuez-for.html: accessed [access date]). 

Above a Gazebo at Longwood Gardens for Weathervane Wednesday

 Today's weathervane was photographed at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.

Longwood Gardens is open to the public with more than 1,100 acres of gardens, woodlands, and meadows. It has fantastic fountains (with shows) and a very large conservatory covering 17 acres undergoing a very large expansion project to make it even bigger! It is the largest horticultural display in the United States.  Over 1.6 million people visit here every year. 

This weathervane was spotted near the large 5 acre Main Fountain Garden in front of the conservatory.   It is a banner style weathervane featuring a winged griffin. It sits above a fancy gazebo and can be seen from quite a distance in this part of the park. 

For the truly curious:

The Longwood Gardens website:  https://longwoodgardens.org/   

Longwood Gardens at Wikipedia:   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longwood_Gardens   

Click here to see over 525 Weathervane Wednesday posts:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/search/label/Weathervane%20Wednesday     

-------------------------

To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Above a Gazebo at Longwood Gardens for Weathervane Wednesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted December 4, 2024, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2024/12/above-gazebo-at-longwood-gardens-for.html: accessed [access date]). 

A Photo Tour of Plimoth Patuxet Museum

Happy Thanksgiving! 

At the Plimoth Patuxet open air museum, this path leads to the English village.  However, due to recent archeaological digs in downtown Plymouth at the site of the original fort, historians have learned that the native Wampanoag people lived very close to the palisade.  Previously they were believed to live nearby, but not this close.  The museum is re-interpreting the palisade and the Wampanoag dwellings.  A grant from Americana Corner helped to fund the new palisade. 

In 1635, the colony contracted Thomas Boreman to build the wall as such: “All the posts are to be 10 inches square, and not to stand above 10 foote asunder, to be done with 3 rails between every post, of fit scantling. The post and rails are all to be sawne. He [Thomas Boreman] is to enclose the whole work with sawne boards. It is to be 9 foote high, and they are to be cut sharp at the top and either listed or shot with a plane…”.

This is the wetu that is now very close to the palisade and the fortress. 

Our cousins from Spain enjoyed the Wampanoag Homesite very much.  The inside of the wetu is a very interesting experience. 

For the truly curious:

Plimoth Patuxet website:  https://plimoth.org/   

Americana Corner web page about Plimoth Patuxet's palisade    https://www.americanacorner.com/preserving-america/plimoth-patuxet-museums

My 2019 blog post about Dr. Langdon from UMass and his archeaological digs at Plymouth   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/11/new-archaeological-finds-at-plymouth.html  

--------------------------

To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "A Photo Tour of Plimoth Patuxet Museum", Nutfield Genealogy, posted November 27, 2024, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2024/11/a-photo-tour-of-plimoth-patuxet-museum.html: accessed [access date]). 

The New Baltimore Welcome Center for Weathervane Wednesday

This weathervane was photographed at a rest area on the New York Thru Way

In September we traveled down south to see the Shenendoah National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway.  On the way home we traveled through New York state on the Thruway and the Berkshire Connector.  The NYSTA (New York State Thruway Authority) calls the rest areas here "travel plazas".   There are 27 travel plazas.  A redesign project was started in 2021, and it is expected to be completed in 2025.  This weathervane was spotted at the service plaza in New Baltimore, and it is called "The Capital Region Welcome Center.  There is an identical weathervane on the roof of the Whitney Point service center and at the Long Island Welcome center.  

This weathervane features a silhouette of New York state.  You can see the weathervane on the apex of the roof as you enter the building.  The silhouette includes the outline of the entire state including Long Island.  If this weathervane exists at other service plazas or Welcome Centers, please let me know!  

For the truly curious:

Click here to see over 525 Weathervane Wednesday posts:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/search/label/Weathervane%20Wednesday     

------------------------------

To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "The New Baltimore Welcome Center for Weathervane Wednesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted November 20, 2024, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2024/11/the-new-baltimore-welcome-center-for.html: accessed [access date]). 

A Fancy Cow Barn for Weathervane Wednesday

 

Today's featured weathervane was photographed at Winterthur, in Delaware.  This museum, garden, and library is home to a large collection of early American decorative arts.  It was also the estate of Henry Francis du Pont (1880 - 1969), a gilded age millionaire.  The original estate was used for farming, and this cow barn is part of that legacy.  This dairy barn was built between 1915 and 1917, and there were many other barns on the property.  H. F. du Pont raised a herd of 450 award winning Holstein cows here until his death in 1969, when per his instructions, the herd was sold at auction. 

There are three identical weathervanes above this huge dairy barn. They are all scrollwork arrows, and the one on the far right appears to be a bit bent.  You can see these weathervanes from the tram tour of the estate grounds, but to really appreciate them you will have to hike up the big hill to the barn. 

For the truly curious:

The Winterthur website:  https://www.winterthur.org/   

The Winterthur Dairy Barn video on YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUHhPa4NUZo  

Click here to see over 525 Weathervane Wednesday posts:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/search/label/Weathervane%20Wednesday     

-------------------------------

To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "A Fancy Cow Barn for Weathervane Wednesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted November 13, 2024, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2024/11/a-fancy-cow-barn-for-weathervane.html: accessed [access date]).  

Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's house, for Weathervane Wednesday

 

Most people are not aware that Thomas Jefferson's house in Charlottesville, Virginia has a weathervane.  It is mounted to the portico over the back door of the mansion.  This is not the view made famous by the US nickel coin, which has a dome on the west side of the house.  This east entrance is now the first thing visitors to Monticello see.  

Jefferson was an inventor and he loved scientific instruments. The weathervane was installed in 1807.  Below this weathervane he installed a compass rose on the ceiling of the portico.  You have to look up quick when you are being ushered into the mansion on a tour!  This compass rose was recently restored and regilded by conservators.  

Thomas Jefferson loved to record weather twice a day when he was at Monticello.  He recorded the weather, temperatures, and wind direction. This weathervane is a very simple iron and metal banner, with no cardinal points because of the compass rose below the roof on the porch ceiling. Jefferson didn't even have to go outside to tell which way the wind was blowing!  The east entrance was a hall of "curiosities" holding many scientific instruments, maps, artifacts, and taxidermy from the Lewis and Clark expedition and other parts of North America.  

This device used iron balls to
tell the days of the week

For the truly curious:

The Monticello website:  https://www.monticello.org/   

A short video on the restoration of the compass rose that works in conjunction with the weathervane:

https://www.monticello.org/research-education/thomas-jefferson-encyclopedia/weathervane/  

Click here to see over 550 other weathervanes featured on this blog:

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/search/label/Weathervane%20Wednesday   

----------------------

To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's house, for Weathervane Wednesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted November 6, 2024, (https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2024/11/monticello-thomas-jeffersons-house-for.html: accessed [access date]). 

The Biltmore Winery, Asheville, North Carolina for Weathervane Wednesday

 

This simple banner weathervane with the letter "V" stands over a clock tower at the Bilmore Winery in Asheville, North Carolina.  The Biltmore estate was established by George Washington Vanderbilt during the Gilded Age, and his grandson, William Cecil planted the first vines in the 1970s. The first wines were bottled in 1984, and the following year the winery opened to the public. This building in Antler Village on the estate opened in 2010.  Every year they produce about 150,000 cases of wine. 

Enjoying a few wine samples! 

For the truly curious:

The Biltmore Winery:    https://www.biltmore.com/visit/winery/   

On October 16, 2024 I featured two weathervanes from atop the Biltmore Mansion:

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2024/10/weathervane-wednesday-at-biltmore.html   

Click here to read almost 550 Weathervane Wednesday posts from this blog: 

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/search/label/Weathervane%20Wednesday   

---------------------------

To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "The Biltmore Winery, Asheville, North Carolina for Weathervane Wednesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted October 30, 2024, (  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2024/10/the-biltmore-winery-asheville-north.html: accessed [access date]).  

New Statehouse Statue for Christa McAuliffe at Concord, New Hampshire

 

On Christa McAuliffe's birthday, September 2, 2024, a new statue of her was dedicated on the grounds of the New Hampshire State Capitol building.  There are many statues on these grounds, but this is the first one of a woman.  

Christa had been a teacher at Concord High School, as well as teaching for a short time in Maryland and Bow, New Hampshire.  She applied for the Teacher in Space program in 1984, and was chosen out of over 11,000 applicants. On January 28, 1986 she died aboard the Challenger when it exploded 73 seconds after liftoff, along with six other crew members.   

A dedicated teacher in Concord,

New Hampshire, Christa McAuliffe was selected

to be NASA's first educator astronaut.

McAuliffe and her six crewmates on the

space shuttle Challenger were tragically

lost 73 seconds after launch.  She is 

remembered for her bravery and 

enthusiasm for life and for learning. 

September 2, 1948

January 28, 1986

"I touch the future. I teach"

This new statue is the first statue of a woman and a private citizen on the state house lawn.  It is also the first new statue to be added to the capitol property in over 100 years. The statue is 8 feet tall on a granite pedestal, and is believed to be the first full statue of Christa McAuliffe. The sculptor of this statue was Benjamin Victor, of Idaho.  He has also made four other statues in the US Capitol.  He borrowed an astronaut uniform for the statue from Barbara Morgan, who was Christa McAuliffe's back up for the Challenger mission. 

Nearby is the Christa McAuliffe/ Alan Shepard Planetarium across the Merrimack River near the Community College.  She is buried nearby, too, at the Blossom Hill Cemetery in Concord.  

For the truly curious:

Wikipedia article for Christa McAuliffe -  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christa_McAuliffe  

A previous blog post about Christa McAuliffe's tombstone in Concord, NH:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2020/01/christa-mcauliffe-tombstone-tuesday.html

--------------

To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "New Statehouse Statue for Christa McAuliffe at Concord, New Hampshire", Nutfield Genealogy, posted October 22, 2024, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2024/10/new-statehouse-statue-for-christa.html: accessed [access date]).