The Vermont Department of Transportation announced that an antique copper weather vane stolen from a Vermont train station 40 years ago was recovered and returned to the state last week.
“We are pleased to see this precious historical artifact and beautiful work of art returned here in Vermont,” Judith Ehrlich, the agency’s historic preservation officer, said in a statement Monday.
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An antique weather vane that sat on the roof of a Vermont train station until it was stolen in 1983 was unveiled to the public on Tuesday, May 14, 2024, in Barre, Vermont. The weathervane was recently discovered and returned to Vermont last week. (Jennifer Hawk/Valley News, via AP)
The 1910 weather vane was for steam locomotives and coal tenders and was manufactured by WA Snow Iron Works Inc. He was kept on the roof of Hartford’s White River Junction Station until it was stolen on Nov. 3, 1983, transportation officials announced Tuesday. About 40 years later, it was consigned to the New York auction house Sotheby’s, according to people involved. The Arts Loss Register, an organization that maintains a database of lost, stolen, and looted art, antiques, and collectibles, confirmed that the work was a stolen weather vane, and the auction house was unable to sell it. It has been removed from sale, the transit agency said.
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White River Junction Station is currently owned by the state. The Arts Loss Register worked with the state last week to return the weather vane, according to the transit agency. According to the state, Sotheby’s paid $2,300 to ship it to Vermont.
Ehrlich said the transit agency is working with state curators to choose the best location for the weathervane “so we can enjoy it again.”
