(Host) The town of Crown Point, New York, is celebrating the recovery of a historic weathervane.
The Angel Gabriel weathervane was first installed atop a church in the center of Crown Point in the 1820’s and it overlooked the town until a year and half ago, when it was stolen.
Patricia Dorr, a resident of Crown Point, did daily Internet searches and sent more than 300 postings to antique dealers in hopes of finding the artifact.
This week, an antiques dealer in Connecticut was approached by somebody attempting to sell the piece.
(Dorr) “And when it walked into his shop, he took my article out and he just gave me a phone call. He said, ‘Are you Pat Dorr?’ and I said, ‘Yeah…’ And he said, ‘I have your weathervane.’ And I almost fell over (laughs). So it was excellent, excellent – I am just so thrilled.”
(Host) The weathervane is being held by police while they investigate its possible connection to an antiques theft ring. The value of the Angel Gabriel is estimated at $250,000 – $400,000.
Joan Hunsdon is Crown Point’s historian. She says the town has a deep attachment to the iron figure:
(Hundson) “He’s like at a high point in our neighborhood. And everybody who goes by would look to Gabriel to see, you know, which way the wind was blowing, as they say. And when he turned, he would give out this sort of squawking, eerie noise and we always said, well that’s Gabriel blowing his horn. So, even though we all loved him, we didn’t know how bad we were going to miss him till he was gone. It really was heartrending.”
(Host) Hunsdon says the weathervane is too fragile and vulnerable to be returned to the top of the White Church in the center of Crown Point. But plans are being made to display it in a secure area.