Ichthys - Monroe County Courthouse, Bloomington, IN
Posted by: 
The Snowdog
N 39° 10.026 W 086° 32.060
16S E 540228 N 4335423
This "Ichthys" weather vane is atop the Monroe County Courthouse - in Bloomington, Indiana.
Waymark Code: WM187EK
Location: Indiana, United States
Date Posted: 06/14/2023
Views: 2
This "Ichthys" weather vane was constructed of copper by Bloomington blacksmith Austin Stweard. The fish is 5 feet, 6 inches long. The weathervane was made for the second courthouse for Monroe County, which was completed in 1826. The weathervane was first gilded in 1884 to improve its appearance. When that courthouse was replaced by the present 1908 Beaux Arts building, the old weathervane was retained and mounted atop the dome of the new courthouse.
The Ichthys has long been a symbol of Christianity;
this web page speculates that this was the intended meaning of the original weathervane. Another possible meaning is that Bloomington was once at the edge of a shallow inland sea.
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