How a dome can be emblematic of a state

Maine State House dome

Darkness reigns at this time of year when I take the dogs out at 5 a.m. The ever-efficient Martha only makes it a few yards from the house before taking care of her “business,” but Aquinnah demands a longer jaunt. So he and I walk two blocks up the hill before crossing the street and heading back down to the house.

At the midpoint of our walk, I have a glorious view of the Maine State House, a mile away across the Kennebec River. The capitol dome remains lighted at that hour; it stands out dramatically against the pre-dawn sky. Even the beacon held by the statue of Wisdom, atop the dome, is visible as it pierces the darkness.

There’s something about a state capitol, especially at night, that speaks of place. What happens within isn’t always pretty. It may even be reprehensible at times. You only have to recall that old saying about how it’s best not to watch laws or sausages being made.

Yet the building itself personifies the state in which it is located. It says that even in our homogenized era, when interchangeable shopping malls and big-box stores litter the landscape, each state remains distinctive and unique.

I’ve lived in four state capitals over the years, starting with Boston, Massachusetts, where I went to college. Later, work took me to Concord, New Hampshire; then to Providence, Rhode Island. My wife and I now live in Augusta, Maine. The sight of the capitol awash in light on a cold winter night always reminds me that this is not Anytown USA, but the heart of a state with its own history and culture and personality . . . and with a brightly illuminated dome as a fitting symbol of it all.

State House, Augusta, Maine