First Congregational Church UCC Harwich

  • Home
  • Who We Are
    • Location
    • History
    • Polity & Beliefs
    • Why Us
    • Staff
    • Orders of Worship
  • Our Ministry
    • Diaconate
    • Adult Christian Education
    • Community Outreach
    • Lectionary
  • News
  • Calendar
  • Music
    • Worship Music
    • Music Programs
    • Music Schedule
  • Photos
  • Thrift Shop
  • Beacon
  • Contact

The Wandering Weathervane

August 2, 2013 by FCCH Staff

HARWICH – History may soon rise to new heights here, literally if not figuratively, the heights being the top of one of the town’s most historic buildings with the installation of a true replica of a treasured colonial antique weathervane.

The building is the First Congregational Church in Harwich Center whose graceful, slender spire rises some 130 feet skyward, a beacon at the crossroads.

The history concerns this bannerette style handcrafted weathervane that graced the modest steeple of Harwich’s third meeting house from 1832 until 1854.

IMG_1030Bannerette weathervanes trace their roots to Medieval England where brave knights returning victoriously from war were granted the right to fly a banner high above their castle. This proud heraldic design is typical of the wandering weathervane of Harwich’s third meeting house.

During remodeling of the meeting house in 1854 the weathervane, 50” long and weighing some 30 lbs. was removed and auctioned for reasons unknown. The weathervane never traveled far from its true home over the intervening years until in 1982 it was returned to the First Congregational Church, which in early times also served as the Town of Harwich meetinghouse.

In 1854 Obed Brooks Jr., a local dignitary and church member, obtained the weathervane at that auction for $3.25. Mr. Brooks put the vane on his barn where it remained undisturbed for ninety years. Over those 90 years the barn and vane passed thru the hands of Francis Larkin, Alfred Paine, Howard Doane and eventually in 1972 Harold Moye, a local realtor.

In the meantime, the weathervane had come to the attention of Milton Cahoon, Vice President of the Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank, and he wrote Mr. Moye saying that he believed that the vane might possibly have belonged to First Church. With convincing evidence in hand the wandering weathervane was returned to its original home.

Rather than remount it on the steeple, it was decided to preserve this wandering and treasured piece of history and place it on display. Several years later a replacement weathervane was installed, which met its demise falling from the steeple in a winter storm this year.

IMG_1054Today we proudly install a true and virtually identical bannerette replica of the original “wandering weathervane”. Beautifully crafted by metal smith Everett Herrick of Holland, MA and installed by Frank Allard, steeplejack of Dennis, it again graces the steeple of First Church in Harwich Center for all to admire and check the true direction of the winds of Cape Cod.

Attribution: to Charles R. Koehler news article circa 1982

Filed Under: News

Sunday Worship

We are an Open and Affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ.

During the health pandemic, we invite worshippers to join us on Sundays at 10:30 am. We meet in safety for a 45-minute service on our (encrypted) video-conference platform.

How to Find Us

Past Sermons

Sermon: Plan? What Plan?

December 27, 2017 By FCCH Staff

Sermon: Worry, Be Happy

December 18, 2017 By FCCH Staff

Sermon: Thoughts for 3 a.m.

December 11, 2017 By FCCH Staff

Sermon: The Moods of Christian Life

December 5, 2017 By FCCH Staff

Sermon: Who Are We to Judge?

November 27, 2017 By FCCH Staff

Sermon: Keeping One’s Marbles amid the Whistling Tree Frogs

November 20, 2017 By FCCH Staff

Sermon: Interpreting the Bible

November 7, 2017 By FCCH Staff

Sermon: Luther, Schmuther!

October 30, 2017 By FCCH Staff

Sermon: A Mechanistic God

October 16, 2017 By FCCH Staff

Sermon: Knowing Who We Are

October 12, 2017 By FCCH Staff

Sermon: The Freedom of Constraint

October 2, 2017 By FCCH Staff

Sermon: Daytime TV and Bonbons

September 25, 2017 By FCCH Staff

Sermon: Mind Your Own Knitting

September 18, 2017 By FCCH Staff

Sermon: Stasis, Novelty or Reform

September 11, 2017 By FCCH Staff

Sermon: Decisions, Decisions

September 5, 2017 By FCCH Staff

Sermon: Everyone’s Got One

August 28, 2017 By FCCH Staff

Sermon: Self-Righteousness, Othering, and Violence

August 21, 2017 By FCCH Staff

Sermon: Oh, This!

August 14, 2017 By FCCH Staff

Sermon: From Heel to Healer

August 8, 2017 By FCCH Staff

Sermon: Unexpectedly

July 31, 2017 By FCCH Staff

Sermon: Surviving Hope

July 25, 2017 By FCCH Staff

Sermon: Prevenient Grace

July 17, 2017 By FCCH Staff

Sermon: The Strange Persistence of Guilt

July 11, 2017 By FCCH Staff

Sermon: Freedom

July 3, 2017 By FCCH Staff

Sermon: Looking for the Lord

June 26, 2017 By FCCH Staff

Copyright © 2021 · Lifestyle Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in