A Fish in the State House
Atop Beacon Hill on land once owned by John Hancock, the Massachusetts State House, built in 1798, features a 23-karat gold plated copper dome and a commanding view of the Boston Common. While a wooden pinecone reportedly tops the structure in recognition of the city’s 18th century logging industry, it is the fishing industry that has garnered the most unusual symbol. A wooden fish, the Sacred Cod, hangs in the chambers of the House of Representatives. Originally hung in the old State House, it has dangled from its present spot since 1895 (except for its fifty hours spent as a “codnap” victim in 1933) its head pointed approvingly toward the party in power.
John Hancock, while known most widely for his flourishing signature on America’s Declaration of Independence, was also the first governor of the state and a plaque stands at the former site of his residence next to the capitol building. The Bulfinch Entrance, facing Boston Common, commemorates the State House architect, Charles Bulfinch, who also worked on the US Capitol building and its grounds from 1918 – 1829.
Boston, and indeed all of Massachusetts, is rich with Early American history, heroes and symbols. I appreciate the slight whimsy represented by a fish dangling over its legislators.
Coming up: Cliff dwellings, climbs, and canyons in Arizona; more on Boston and Cape Cod -and some Midwestern surprises.
