Pointing Up

This is First Presbyterian Church in Port Gibson, Mississippi — we were there last year and always take pics of this church as it has this extraordinary golden hand pointing up to Heaven atop its steeple

First Prebyterian Church, Port Gibson MS

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Uncertain as to when in the mid/late 1800s it first made its appearance, but it was originally carved by a local named Daniel Foley. By 1901, it had been destroyed by time and weather, and the congregation commissioned a new hand, this one, to be installed. In 1989, it was taken down to be restored, and was reinstalled in 1990.

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Difficult to see in this picture, but there are little pins atop the hand to keep birds from roosting on it. We stayed at a b and b once that had a telescope with which you could focus on the steeple (the inn is now closed). I understand the hand is about 18′ tall.