Even in today’s age, farmers continue to watch the local TV weatherman, as did my father some 50 years ago. Yet, I recall during harvesting or planting season, my father, upon glancing at the weathervane atop our home, often commented about the direction of the wind.
According to Mildred Klein, The Evening Forecast: “I remember my father closely watching the big, black, rooster weather vane atop our tall windmill. He knew that when the wind began to shift, there would be a change in the weather. A wind changing to a clockwise motion, a veering wind, meant better weather ahead. If the wind shifted to a counterclockwise direction, a backing wind, bad weather was on the way.”
A classmate, Doris Schlenker, of Macungie, told me: “I have a small rusty horse that was part of the weather vane on my grandfather, Percy (Poppy) Baver’s barn roof. I always like it. It’s a nice memento.”
These weathervanes, or wind vanes, were a common feature of the landscape, whether seen in town or country, during early Colonial days. However, weathervanes did not originate in America. They were brought here by the early colonists from their home country.
Historians have found that the Sumerians, from an early civilization of Mesopotamia (now Iraq), in their literature written around 1800 and 1600 B.C., noted, “They look at the weathervane for the direction of the wind.”
Near Mesopotamia the ancient Egyptians were also involved in predicting the weather. The art on temples showed long cloth streamers mounted on buildings. Chinese history also shows authentication of strings or flags to read wind directions in 2nd century BCE writings.
Granted, weathervanes existed some 6,000 years ago in Mesopotamia; an ancient text describes the Greek Triton vane, atop an octagonal building, known as the Tower of the Winds, in Athens, Greece. The tower, which still exists, was built between 200 and 50 BCE, but the wind vane, in the shape of the Triton god (the body of a man and the tail of a fish) has been lost. A rod in the hand of the god rotated with the changes in the wind.
Both wealthy Greeks and Roman landowners had weathervanes on top of their homes, as well as in villages and on public buildings.
However, weathervanes grew in popularity through a 9th century A.D. papal edict that all church spires must be adorned with a cockerel or rooster. It was to remind the faithful of Peter’s denial of Jesus: “I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me.” Some writers say evidence of a papal decree has never been found.
Actually, the cockerel wasn’t first used as a weathervane, but eventually was combined with the weathervane. The English were the first to have coined “weatherclock, “a wind blown cock. The word vane comes from the Anglo-Saxon word “fane” meaning flag.
Still there were other forms of weathervanes in medieval Europe. Foot soldiers and peasants used long cloths for wind vanes, called bannerets.
Another example was from the medieval Scandinavian sea warriors, the Vikings. They used metal quadrant shaped weathervanes, that depicted a mythical creature on the prow of their long ships. Unlike the vanes used on land, these vanes only pointed in the direction the wind blew.
As stated earlier, the early colonists to the New World brought the culture of the weathervanes. In those early colonial days weathervanes were imported from Europe. Eventually, by the 17th and 18th centuries, weathervanes were handmade, and by the middle of the 19th century, they were factory made.
As these weathervanes became more widespread in the U.S., different and unusual designs were created, depending where one lived. Those that lived on the coastal areas designed vanes in the shape of ships, sea animals or nautical subjects. In the West, you could find horses, arrows and Indian figures. Since farmers weren’t privy to the communal vanes atop churches or public buildings, they made their own vanes in the form of farm animals. In addition, after the Revolutionary War, there were patriotic themes, such as the eagle.
These weathervanes were made of wood, copper, wrought iron or other materials. They have a simple design, but must be perfectly balanced in their rotating axis to function. They also need to have an unequal area on either side in order for the wind to blow against. Sometimes N (north), S (south), E (east) and W (west) are added to make it easier to know which direction the wind is coming from. Of course, they have to be placed atop the highest building, away from other tall buildings that would obstruct the wind.
Three of the earliest weathervanes documented in the U.S. are found in Boston, Massachusetts, created by Shem Drowne: the 1716 Indian vane on Province House, the 1740 banners on Old North Church, the 1742 Grasshopper atop Faneuil Hall.
Created at a later date in 1984, Montague, Michigan, claims to have the largest weathervane on the shores of White Lake. It is hand-formed aluminum 48 feet tall, 26 feet long and weighs 4,300 pounds. Atop sits a replica of a schooner.
In conclusion, we have two early presidents who loved their weathervanes. George Washington commissioned a weathervane of the “Dove of Peace,” which, in 1787, was installed atop his beautiful Mont Vernon Home in Virginia. Also, in Virginia, in 1787, Thomas Jefferson installed a weathervane atop his Monticello home. With his architectural skills he was able to tell the wind direction from inside his home.
Although we now have better technology in forecasting the weather, we can thank our ancestors for their part in the history of using these early weather tools in forecasting the weather.
Carole Christman Koch grew up in Berks County and has been published in numerous publications. She has a passion for writing and has many stories from growing up on a farm to everyday stories.
