Faneuil Hall in Boston, Massachusetts

Opened in 1742, it was the site of several speeches by Samuel Adams, James Otis, and others encouraging independence from Great Britain. The gilded grasshopper weather vane on top of the building was created by Deacon Shem Drowne in 1742. Gilded with gold leaf, it weighs 80 pounds, is 4 feet long, and is believed to be modeled after that of the London Royal Exchange, itself based upon the family crest of Thomas Gresham.