Cannons
World War I Cannon
There is a World War I German Cannon, called a French 75 located on the Central Park Green at the corner of Chestnut and Bartlett Street. The Veterans of Foreign Wars placed the cannon there in 1932 and dedicated on Memorial Day 1932. The cannon was captured by the 37th Division October 13-November 2, 1918. It was restored in 1994 with repairs being done by the Greater Lawrence Vocational Schol and a wheel-wright to rebuild the wooden and iron wheels. Restoration was done again in 2008.
The refurbushed cannon was unveiled on May 25, 2009 at the Memorial Day program. A student from the Greater Lawrence Vocational Technical School, Aldolfo Acevedo told the crowd that the cannon is technically a howitzer. From the free online dictionary the definition of a howitzer is "A relatively short cannon that delivers shells at a medium muzzle velocity, usually by a high trajectory"
See
"Did you notice? The Park's cannon has moved", The Townsman, November 23, 1994 p. 2
"For Memorial Day, Cannon not the Only Focus", Andover Townsman, May 28, 2009.
Ceremonial Cannon
There is an antique ceremonial cannon in the lobby of the Andover Town Offices. The cannon was owned by the Andover Historical Society, who gave it to the town in 1999. Originally, the cannon belonged to the Grand Army of the Republic and was used to open Memorial Day celebrations.
See article below
- A Blast from the Past, Eagle Tribune, February 22, 1999
