On this day in 1974, city officials in Boston recovered Faneuil Hall’s stolen grasshopper weat

On this day in 1974, city officials in Boston recovered Faneuil Hall’s stolen grasshopper weather vane.

Faneuil Hall’s grasshopper had a habit of finding its way down from its perch. In 1755, an earthquake threw the grasshopper to the ground and about a century later in 1889, an Evacuation Day flag raising knocked the grasshopper down. Despite its adventures, the grasshopper always returned to its perch!.  

Fortunately, 1974 was no different. On January 4, it was discovered that the weather vane had been stolen. Only a few days later after the theft was discovered, the police received a tip that the thief had hidden the iconic insect in Faneuil Hall’s cupola. The grasshopper was found and repaired, returning to its proper place in July of 1974.

Faneuil Hall exterior, grasshopper weather vane, circa 1970s, Waterfront series, Boston Landmarks Commission image collection, Collection 5210.004, Boston City Archives, Boston