Delaware — Cupola Tower, Staff, Weathervane

image courtesy of
Irene Adams, Colorado Springs

Cupola Tower
My guess is this tower is constructed mostly of wood. There doesn't seem to be any information on the materials available on the Internet.

images above and at
right courtesy of
Greg Hughes

This item is listed in
Visitor Challenge.

Staff and Weathervane
The staff is unusual and might be a lightning rod. Maryland's capitol has a lightning rod, but I believe this is the only capitol with a weathervane. I won't know for sure until I have researched them all.

Louisiana —

Sculptures, Observation Deck, Tiered Cupola,
Flying Buttresses, Beacon

image courtesy of
Robert Dolton through
Cupolas of Capitalism

Cupola Tower
image courtesy of
Robert Dolton through
Cupolas of Capitalism

The Top
For this description, the top of the Louisiana capitol starts at the 22nd floor where the tower is decreased in width and cut to an octagon. From here up there is a large amount of carved and sculpted detailing, and the building is tapered three more times.

Sculptures
The octagonal shape of the building above the first tapering is disguised a bit by the huge sculptures at the smaller four sides, so at first it still looks square. The four winged sculptures represent Law, Science, Philosophy and Art. The top, right image also shows the carved ornamentation between them that runs across the tops of these two tiers.

Observation Deck
Just above the massive sculptures, the second stage of the tapering produces the observation deck. This is most visible in the top, left image.

Tiered Cupola
Starting at the level of the observation deck is a stone, two-tiered cupola or cupola tower of sorts. It is also octagonal.

Flying Buttresses
The transition from the lower to the upper cupola is also disguised, by sculpted flying buttresses also at the smaller sides of the octagonal levels. Above the stone cupolas is another deck with access to the flagstaff.

Beacon
The top-most structure is called a beacon by the Louisiana State offices. It could also be called a cupola or lantern, but since the metal and glass enclosure houses a light, "beacon" seems quite appropriate.

Sculpture
detail from image at left

Beacon
image courtesy of
NAMI Louisiana

What is the beacon housing made of? The metal looks like stainless steel in this image.
Is it?

This item is entered in
Visitor Challenge.

Maryland — Dome, Cupola Tower, Acorn, Lightning Rod/Flagstaff

Dome
Maryland's dome is wood. It is a notable design and an outstanding engineering achievement of its time. It was built without metal nails and is still held together with wooden pegs reinforced by iron straps. It is the largest wooden dome built without nails in the nation.

Lightning Rod
The 28-foot-tall lightning rod is a wrought iron "Franklin" rod. It was constructed and grounded to Benjamin Franklin's specifications. It goes through the center of the acorn, which is there to stabilize the rod.

image courtesy of
Vladimir Ivanov

cupola tower from image at left

image courtesy of
Tom Darden

Acorn
Why an acorn? In the late 18th century, acorns were popular decorations symbolizing the strength and potential of an oak tree. Maryland's five-foot-tall acorn was replaced in September 1996 with a copy made of cypress like the original. Its 31 pieces of cypress were all made by different Maryland craftspeople. The assembled acorn was then clad in copper, gilded on top and painted green on the bottom, as in the original plan.

Tennessee — Cupola Tower, Flagstaff

The Cupola Tower
The design of the Tennessee capitol is a combination of two particular inspirations; the Acropolis and the Choragic monument of Lysicrates in Athens. The Acropolis is reflected in the four porticos, and the tower is modeled after the monument. Follow this link for more on the Choragic monument of Lysicrates in Athens, and Wikipedia has a nice article with photos and information here.

image courtesy of
Mary Ann Sullivan, Bluffton University

image courtesy of
Mary Ann Sullivan, Bluffton University

Trim Detail
The ornamentation around the top of the tower is particularly interesting. The North Carolina capitol carries a "crown" of the same design.