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After the kickoff of this project, it took me a bit of time to decide on an artifact that
I would feel comfortable writing about. There aren't that many items, that I can think of
that have a rich cultural meaning or background. After looking at my options, and
examples from the rest of the class, a brilliant idea came to mind. I decided to write
about my grandmothers wether vane.
The weathervane that my grandmother owns used to belong to my grandfather,
but since he died years ago, she is the one of the few people who know the origin, or
the backstory of this specific weathervane. My grandmother, although good in heath
mentally, and physically, has a difficult time remembering as far back to when she
moved to her current house, so my research on this specific weathervane was quite
bleak, but I was able to use the little information to write this paper.
I decided to set up this paper in two main sections. The opening of the paper will
describe this specific weathervane in detail, telling as much of a backstory as I could dig
up through research and interviews with members of my family, while the second portion
will dig into the significant cultural importance and symbolism that weathervanes had
during the historic days of the United States, and how this fame and symbolism came to
be. The purpose of splitting the paper in this manner is to allow the factual statements
from research about this artifact to be emphasized, while the little information about this
specific family artifact is limited due to the lack of living ancestors to tell me about this
specific item. However, I still enjoyed the challenge of researching the item, as it gave
me insight on how my grandparents met, and setting a solid timeline into my familys
history. I may have learned just as much about my own familys history as I did about
the cultural and scientific importance of weathervanes.

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Nicholas Janeski
Instructor Delores Rauscher
WRA 150 - 010
Due 4 March 2015
An American History Spinning in the Breeze

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Nicholas Janeski
Instructor Delores Rauscher
WRA 150 - 010
Due 4 March 2015
An American History Spinning in the Breeze
Take an imaginative trip back to 1822. The American farm life is quickly
spreading across the plains, familys busy in the fields, a small farm house and a barn
are surrounded by miles of open land and crops are to be planted. A farmer stands at
the base of his barn and stares up, only to see a wooden rooster with a metal tail,
attached to the roof. Its purpose; to point into the wind as the farmer plans his harvest.
At this time in our nations history, a weathervane (or weathercock as a lone rooster is
called; but for the purpose of simplicity, I will refer to it as a weathervane) could be
found on almost every building in America. Meteorologists call a weather vane any
instrument, which is a common sight on many buildings, [that] always points into the
wind. (Lutgens 163). These weathervanes dont only serve a scientific purpose, but
have artistic importance as a signature piece of functional art, showing the personality
of its owner, and carrying stories for generations. Travel back even farther in time, all
the way to May 25, 1742. Boston, Massachusetts builds a new town market, Faneuil
Hall. A weathervane in the shape of a grasshopper, forged from
copper with a decorative glass eye, is
today recognized as Americas most
renowned weathervane for symbolism.
During 1742, street hawkers peddled their

Grasshopper Weathervane,
Faneuil Hall, Boston, MA. 1742
(artist illustration)
Myrna Kayes Yankee
Weather Vanes Page 11

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goods and produce in the streets of Boston, but after the construction of Faneuil Hall,
the street hawkers were dismayed by the grasshopper, the all-too-visible reminder of
the building it crownedthe towns new market. (Kaye 10). These two visualizations,
with same scientific purpose and function, had drastically different cultural meanings
and symbolism. The ability of such a simple device to drastically alter the figuration of a
building or property makes the weathervane a fascinating historical artifact, and I'm
proud to say that I have more than one in my familys possession.
On top of my grandmothers garage, next to her house in Ecorse, Michigan, is a
piece of family history, cloaked in an object that most people in todays society may
completely ignore, a weathervane that dates back to the early 1900s. My grandparents
on my mothers side met in the city of Detroit in 1944 when my grandfather moved from
his hometown in a rural, farming town in Arkansas to Detroit Michigan. My grandfathers
family (the Owens) moved to Michigan in search for jobs, and settled down in the first
story of a 2-story house in which they rented. The only things they brought from their
past life were their clothes, and a few personal items, one of which being my great
grandfathers weathervane. The weathervane is made of copper, originally contained all
four cardinal directions below a rotating head that consists of an arrow (which points
into the direction of which the wind is coming from). Atop the arrow, stands a native
american, with head faced down in shame, holding a spear low and to the side, and
riding a horse, whose legs look weak and exhausted. My grandparents met shortly after
the Owens moved in during 1944, as my grandmothers family, the McGaws, lived
across the street. My grandparents were friends throughout their teenage years, and
became very close, before my grandfather was drafted into the Korean war in 1950.

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During his time in the service, my grandfather (Jim) kept in contact with home, and
frequently wrote to my grandmother. When his time was over in the service, my
grandfather returned home for good in 1953 and Married my grandmother that same
year. The weathervane in which my great grandfather kept in storage that whole time
was dusted off and given to my grandfather as a gift for his wedding. It was at this time
where my great grandfather passed down the information explaining the symbolism of
this specific weathervane. He told my grandfather that the weathervane was a reminder
to him of the hardships that his ancestors had to go through, as he was a descendent of
native americans who were forced from their homes as part of the Sioux nation and
placed on a reservation. The weathervane was positioned on top of their family barn to
remind others of the unjust decisions made at the time. My grandfather took the gift in
order to keep the memory of his ancestors alive in spirit.
Im going to digress here slightly, but id like to take about a paragraph to point
out how vastly different the symbolism of a native american on a weathervane can be in
a matter of 200 years. In 1716, Massachusetts turned a citizens mansion into a
residence for colonial governors. Myrna Kaye writes and shortly thereafter [the
Government of Massachusetts] marked the three-story brick building as an official
American edifice by placing upon its large octagonal cupola an Indian
weathervane. (Kaye 26). The story behind this weathervane, that may be one of, if not
the oldest weathervane in the united states, is vastly different from the one that my
grandfather owned. Instead of mourning, this Indian weathervane was placed on the
building for a different reason. Kaye writes The Indian had been an official American
symbol since the Massachusetts bay Colony had a seal designed in 1629 featuring an

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Indian exclaiming, Come over and help us!
The motto is believed to refer to the
Christian conversion of the
aborigines, (Kaye 26). This Motto making
the native Americans seem as if they need
help converting faith, and an image of
shame after being forced off their land, are
two drastically different figurations, yet ask

Indian Weathervane, the

Province House, Boston, MA.
1716
(artist illustration)
Myrna Kayes Yankee
Weather Vanes Page 27

anyone today, and they would immediately

refer to both of them as simply Native Americans on a
weathervane. Now, back to analyzing my original artifact
When my grandparents married in 1953 and had their first child on October 14,
1954, they planned on moving out of the neighborhood of each of their families in
Detroit, to a quiet neighborhood in Ecorse, Michigan. After buying a house, my
grandfather built his own garage, where he were
to park his vehicle. He also built a workshop
attached, where he would repair things, and
complete projects. On top of the garage, my
grandfather placed the family weathervane,
freshly painted a bright crimson red to cover the
green oxidation that copper underwent over time.
From 1955 to the present day, that weathervane
Betty Owens Weathervane
Ecorse, MI. Present Day

has not come down from atop the garage. Over a

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century in existence, the weathervane was unchanged except for one thick coat of red
paint. The weathervane currently stands in less than prime condition. With 60 years of
continuous exposure, the paint has changed from a bright red to a darker, gloomier red.
The North and East cardinal point indicators have broken off and are missing, and
the once crisp, sharp designs have smoothed and curved to make the weathervane as
rustic as the story from which it originated. Many other families may have a
weathervane like this.
The history of these elegant, yet functional pieces were extremely popular
throughout the history of the United States. Almost every farm had their own unique
weather vane, simply to tell where the wind was coming from. As a farming symbol, the
plow was obvious; as a wind indicator, its shape was effective; and as an emblem of
Americas scientific agricultural revolution, the plow vane was perfect. (Kaye 82). But it
wasnt just farms and estates that were interested in the cultural staple behind the
weathervane. Eventually, with their growing popularity, the weathervane industry was
born. Alvin Jewell pioneered in the manufacture of weathervanes. He used the latest
business practices, working up an entire line of weathervane designs and publishing a
catalogue of patterns and prices. (Kaye 137). Although the weathervanes were growing
in popularity and design, they never lost their actual scientific capabilities. In fact, the
process of looking at cardinal directions on the device were lost when airports and
weather collection stations started using electromechanical weathervanes. The
invention of the ASOS (Automated Surface Observation System), got rid of the scientific
need to stare at a weathervane to determine the wind direction. With the invention of the
aerovane and computers, we can now know the wind direction at all times. The

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aerovane (skyvane) is an instrument that indicates both wind speed and direction. It
consists of a bladed propeller that rotates at a rate proportional to the wind speed. Its
stream-lined shape and a vertical fin keep the blades facing into the wind. When
attached to a recorder, a continuous record of both wind speed and direction is
obtained. (Ahrens 236). These are popular devices to be used as sensors for all
weather recording stations, public, private, or government official.
Wether it is keeping scientific record, toping your barn and/or your fancy estate,
or telling a family story, the history of the use and weathervanes has a very wide
outreach across the country that even includes myself. In the
past few years alone, I have purchased a decorative Detroit
Red Wings weathervane for my mother, who is a very big fan of
the team, and I have purchased multiple complete weather
stations that come equipped with electronic weathervanes or
aerovanes for my own collection and publication of weather
data, thus by helping me with my major as a student studying

Cindy Janeskis Detroit Red

Wings Weathervane,
Wyandotte, MI. Present Day

atmospheric science. The cultural and scientific history and

importance of the weathervane make it one of the most greatest artifacts of american
culture.

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Works Cited
Ahrens, C. Donald. Workbook/study Guide to Accompany Meteorology Today: An
Introduction to Weather, Climate, and the Environment. 9th ed. Belmont,
CA: Brooks/Cole, CengageLearning, 2009. Print.
"E-Library." E-Library. World Meteorological Society. Web. Mar. 2015. <http://
library.wmo.int/opac/index.php?
&lvl=categ_see&id=10057&main=1&id_thes=2#.VPfHk0IUrlI>.
Kaye, Myrna. Yankee Weathervanes. New York: Dutton, 1975. Print.
Lutgens, Frederick K., and Edward J. Tarbuck. The Atmosphere: An Introduction to
Meteorology. 2nd ed. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1982. Print.
"Weather Words Definitions." Weather Words Definitions. NOAA/ National
Weather Service/ WFO Juneau, AK. Web. Mar. 2015. <http://
pajk.arh.noaa.gov/wxWords/wxWords.php>.