The Golden Dome
"Dome golden,
bright sparkles
reflects
shines
atop the State House"
John McPhee
Gerald Somers
Gary Wills
Boston
Charles Bulfinch designed the dome which crowns the State House, but when
it was built, the dome was not gold -- it was shingled! In just a few years,
the dome began to leak in rain and snow, so the company of Paul Revere was
hired to cover the dome with copper to make it watertight. Later, in 1872,
the dome was gilded with real gold leaf, and, as you know, still glows with
gold today.
At the very top of the dome is a sculpture carved of wood. Many people think
it is a pineapple, but it is not. It is a pine cone, put there to remind
everyone of the importance of the pine trees which provided wood to build
our houses, churches and commercial buildings. The wood for the State House
came from the northern part of Massachusetts, which, in 1820, became the
state of Maine.
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