Grasshopper-napping

In January 1974, the gilded grasshopper weathervane atop Faneuil Hall was stolen. The theft made national headlines. During the oil crisis and subsequent recession of 1974-75, historic treasures and art thefts significantly increased. It was believed that the stolen weathervane would fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars on the black market at the time.

The police initially stated the 80-pound copper grasshopper was stolen with the use of a helicopter. The publicity of the Faneuil Hall theft actually helped to recover other famous weathervanes in the country that were missing or stolen.

A few days after the theft, a man was arrested in Abington on an unrelated offense. He tried to make a plea bargain by stating he knew the whereabouts of the missing weathervane. His lawyer was then interviewed by Boston Police detective Paul Carroll Sr. It turned out the man was a steeplejack, and had worked on Faneuil Hall in 1967. The gilded grasshopper was recovered two days later.

The grasshopper-napper or vane-napper, had hidden the historic weathervane in the attic of Faneuil Hall, with the presumed intention of holding it for ransom. The vane had been damaged in the theft, and was repaired and placed back atop Fanueil Hall on July 27th 1974.

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