January 11 1798....
It is the day that a fish was literally paraded through the city of Boston and brought to a new resting place in the current State House under the golden dome of Beacon Hill where it sits to this day in the House of Representatives.
The Sacred Cod is one of those symbols of Massachusetts that has a little bit of mystery to it. It is a nearly five foot pine symbol of the old Bay colony. The cod is a symbol that seems to have existed since the early 1700s. It was chosen as a bastion of pride for the Bay State because of the economic importance of the fish. After all, cod is what lured some of the first explorers, such as John Cabot, to visit and explore the region at the end of the 15th century. It is the reason why Cape Cod is so named.
As Massachusetts became to evolve as a colony and develop its economic industry, cod-fishing became a vital economic institution in Massachusetts. According to records, in the 1640s, when the colony was still in its infancy, cod fishers were able to sell 300,000 cod. The demand for cod grew, as did Massachusetts wealth and prominence.
As Massachusetts became a powerful colony and established its seat of government, the cod became a symbol sometime at the turn of the 18th century. That is when the Sacred Cod began being hung as a symbol. Three iterations of the Sacred Cod have existed. The first was destroyed in a fire in 1747. The second disappeared mysteriously in the early to mid 1770s when the British occupied Boston following the Boston Tea Party. It was never found. After the war, the Massachusetts legislature promised to renew the symbol and built the one that currently stands out of pine. John Rowe proposed the construction of a new one in 1784 and the rest is history.
This particular cod still exists, but is not without mystery as well. In 1933, as a possible college prank, it was cod-napped. Because of popular outcry, it was later returned by two people who slowly handed it over in a car, then left. Exactly who they were still remains a mystery.
So today is the day to honor the Sacred Cod - part of the state's legacy...not without its own bit of mystery.
Want to learn more? Check out these sites:
Mass Moments
Celebrate Boston
MSP Site
MASS MYSTERIES WEBSITE: This website is dedicated to the history and mysteries of Massachusetts. Established in 2012, it seeks to provide entertaining and informative stories about Massachusetts.
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