Lynnteresting!

Little-known, interesting tidbits about this great city’s amazing history.

Why Lynn Was Vane

Last month I invited you to take a look inside old Lynn homes; today I want you to step outside and look up. Be on the lookout for weathervanes because they have fascinating stories to tell.

Weathervanes have been perched on Lynn’s rooftops probably since the very first homes, barns, and sheds were erected in 1629. The weathervane was a valued tool that provided important information to its owner as well as to anyone who could see it from a distance. People who settle in Lynn quickly figure out that wind from the north brings cold weather; from the east, very stormy weather; from the south, warm weather; and from the west, wet weather. When this understanding of Lynn wind patterns was combined with a basic knowledge of the area’s climate (hot summers; cold, damp autumns; freezing, snowy winters; and changeable hot and cold, sunny and rainy springs), people could better plan their daily and seasonal activities, travel, farming, and gardening.

Farmers planted the crops in their fields in large part according to the southwesterly source of the wind, so that when the plants blossomed, they would be aligned favorably for the wind to pollinate them. Planting with the wind also gave the crops more protection from strong gusts than they would have had if the wind was blowing across the rows. Knowing which way harmful, strong winds came also enabled farmers and property owners to figure out where they should plant hedgerows to protect against the wind.

Observing the wind also helped Lynn’s fishermen, lobstermen, and whalemen to know when it was most favorable to set out to sea, as well as seamen’s wives to predict when it was more likely their men would get back to land.

Before the Civil War, weathervanes were always handmade and even homemade. The most popular materials were copper or iron and created by blacksmiths, but sometimes they were made of wood. Occasionally they were painted, but what was always most prominent was their profile. Distance and the glare of a sky’s light made it difficult to make out much more than the outline shape, so that was the focus of their art.

There was as much variety in the weathervane subjects as there was imagination: Indians and eagles, boats and ball players, and many more shapes can still be found in Lynn and Essex County, some brand new because weathervanes have become a popular home design element, and some very ancient ones that, though rusted, pitted, and worn, continue to do their duty. Oftentimes the subject was symbolic of the denizens inside the structure: a cow vane over a barn marked the dairy inside; pigs hovered over sties or butcher shops, horses over stables, and roosters, the harsh morning herald of the barnyard, announced the presence of a farm.

Back in November of 1827, Charles Lummus, the editor of Lynn’s first newspaper, the Lynn Mirror, noticed the many weathervanes dotting rooftops in the little town, especially in the village of Breed’s End (the area of Breed’s Square today; figure about a half mile radius around Nadworny’s Funeral Home) and wordsmithed a colorful picture of the collection of fanciful shapes that waved in the Lynn sky:

“Whoever has been at Breed’s End, must have observed the vane disposition of the inhabitants in that neighborhood. It is a source of remark and amusement to many quizzical fellows who pass that village, to observe the varied tribes of nondescripts which are perched on the dwellings.” Among the “aerial wonders” he saw were “sea-serpents, and fish of various descriptions, and the mermaid swings in the whistling gale, while the dragon himself brandishes his forked tongue in every direction. Diverse swine, located on neighboring barns, snuff the breeze and further on the Leviathan (whale) takes on his wond’rous tale.”

He also mentioned that one building had a weathervane that was half horse and half alligator. More than just a strange, whimsical creature, the owner must have been inspired by Davey Crockett, who, having just been elected to Congress in 1826, was said to have introduced himself to his fellow men, “I'm that same David Crockett, fresh from the backwoods, half-horse, half-alligator, a little touched with the snapping turtle; can wade the Mississippi, leap the Ohio, ride upon a streak of lightning, and slip without a scratch down a honey locust [tree]." The creature was associated not only with Davey Crockett, but also Andrew Jackson and anyone who was a combination of wild, unpredictable, and potentially dangerous. Maybe this Breed’s End weathervane was an 1827 equivalent of a “No Trespassing” sign!

The Lynn museum has two wonderful examples of handmade Lynn weathervanes in its collection. One is of the early steam fire engine Niagara and the other is a depiction of an early steam railroad engine. In the 1840s the Niagara poured its water onto fires occurring in the vicinity of its barn on Essex Street; the weathervane may have marked the barn of the Niagara or have been over the home of a proud member of its crew. The train vane belonged to Dr. James W. Trow, a Lynn dentist and dates to the 1850s. This highly detailed 20”x30” weathervane is an unpainted copper silhouette of the type of four-wheeled locomotive with cab, bell, and smokestack that ran on the Eastern Railroad through Lynn and up Union Street, past Dr. Trow’s house, until it reached the new Central Railroad Depot. Many businesses flourished by locating within just a short distance of the depot; Dr. Trow’s vane may have been emphasizing to train passengers that he was convenient to the station for their patronage.

Although modern weathervanes are mainly for ornamentation, they are still telling something about the interests, character, or tastes of their owners; they are a story waiting to be told. Then as now, Lynn’s creaky sentinels are something to admire and look up to.

-- by Andrew V. Rapoza

Visit Andy’s blog for fascinating facts about 19^th and early 20^th century medical quackery in Lynn and elsewhere: http://quackcogitations.blogspot.com