Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Faneuil Hall Weather Vane Stolen in 1974

The copper weather vane that has topped the cupola of Faneuil Hall since 1742 was once stolen in 1974.

When the theft was discovered in January of 1974, it made national headlines. Police first speculated that the criminal may have used a helicopter to steal the weather vane and believed the thief intended to sell it on the black market...Click here to read more: http://historyofmassachusetts.org/faneuil-hall-weather-vane-stolen-in-1974/

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Rare Salem Witch Trial Document Sold for $26,000

A rare document from the Salem Witch Trials sold for $26,000 last week at a New York auction house. The document was a court indictment for Margaret Scott, an elderly Rowley woman who was one of the last victims hanged in the Salem Witch hysteria of 1692...Click here to read more: http://historyofmassachusetts.org/rare-salem-witch-trial-document-sold-for-26000/

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Faneuil Hall Was Built with Slave Money

It's a little known fact that Faneuil Hall, which has been dubbed the “Cradle of Liberty” since the American Revolution, was financed with money from Peter Faneuil's slave trading business...Click here to read more: http://historyofmassachusetts.org/faneuil-hall-was-built-with-slave-money/

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

John Alden's Account of His Witch Trial Examination

John Alden Jr. was the son of Mayflower pilgrim John Alden and a merchant from Boston who suddenly found himself caught up in the Salem Witch Trials when he was accused of witchcraft by a local child during a business trip to Salem in May of 1692...click here to read more: http://historyofmassachusetts.org/john-aldens-account-of-his-witch-trial-examination/