The wheels have come off the pre-World War I cannon at Pleasant View Cemetery, but their removal was intentional. After 15 years, the wheels were recently taken off the cannon by members of the American Legion Post 31 and transported to Cashton, Wis., for repair.
The cannon, a vintage breech-loaded howitzer given to the American Legion by the Army in 1948, has been in the news on and off since the 1980s.
In 1983, Star Courier’s Mike Berry wrote about the complete refurbishment of the cannon when the community, including local businesses, industry, high school students, veterans’ organizations and the National Guard banded together to restore the cannon.
Extensive work included sandblasting, disassembly, reconstructing the wheels and repainting was done by industrial arts students, DeReu’s, and the National Guard, just to name a few. Materials were donated by Pines Trailer Corp. and the complete cost of the project was just $100.
The hope was to return the cannon to the cemetery that year by the Memorial Day Service which was traditionally held at the cannon. A major part of the ceremony was the laying of wreaths around the cannon, one for each conflict the US had been involved in.
Again, the cannon appeared in the pages of the Star Courier in 2009 and stirred a bit of controversy when members of the Kewanee Veterans Council requested that the cannon be moved to Veterans Park near city hall for safety reasons and visibility. At that time, the 3,000 pound cannon was undergoing repairs and had been removed temporarily from its cemetery location.
Using his front-page spot in the Star Courier, columnist Dave Clarke made a case to keep the cannon exactly where it was.
In the Star Courier Weekender edition dated Oct. 24-26, 2009, Clarke wrote in his Around Town column with the headline “The cannon should return to Pleasant View Cemetery” that the KVC’s reasoning that the cannon would be safer and seen by more people didn’t hold much water, considering that at one time, a concrete pig placed near the city hall and police station “was drug down the street by a chain attached to a 4-wheel drive pickup truck right under the nose of the local police department.”
When the cannon was removed in June of 2009, it had been in place 25 years before being restored by the Kewanee National Guard in 1983-84.
“Other than rust, wood rot, there was no history of vandalism or damage that would suggest a need for a safer location,” Clarke wrote.
Clarke also wrote on the symbolic purpose that cannons had in cemeteries for centuries and noted that there was another compelling reason to keep the cannon where it was.
Within 30 feet of the platform are five memorials, he wrote, dedicated to men from Kewanee who had died in wars.
During an October 2009 city council meeting discussing the matter, Walt Kubiak, president of the KVC requested the relocation, but Mayor Bruce Tossell didn’t seem swayed.
“I’m not sure it should be removed,” Tossell said, pointing out that the cannon had been guarding the graves of departed veterans for years.
During the meeting, Councilwoman Kellie Wallace also noted that the removal of all weapons from Veterans Park had been done at the request of the KVC 13 years prior, and an ordinance, passed in 1996, would need to be repealed before the gun could be relocated to Veterans Park.
On Oct. 27, 2009, Mike Berry reported that the city council voted that the cannon, which had been in the cemetery for more than 60 years, would go back to its spot on a concrete platform, in spite of protests from veterans’ groups.
The cannon was returned to the cemetery on Flag Day, June 14, 2010 and is still there now, minus its wheels. The history of the cannon and how it came to Kewanee in the first place is murky and local historians have looked into the matter to no avail.
In 1983, veteran groups placed it somewhere around the Spanish American War. But Bob Richards, the president of the Kewanee Historical Society, felt it was from the Civil War era, stating that during the Spanish American War, cannons had metal wheels. Richards felt strongly that General Howe, who was in Kewanee after the Civil war, was responsible for bringing the cannon to Kewanee.
Howe, who is buried in Pleasant View, died in April of 1873. But Richards was unable to come up with any documents to support his theory.
Jerry Thompson, finance officer for the American Legion said that at one time there were four or five such rifles located around town.
“They have disappeared over the years and no one knows what happened to them,” he said.
Over 70 flagpoles lined the cemetery’s Western Avenue, and that area was used to hold ceremonies. But those ceremonies are now held at Veterans Park, he said.
But the American Legion has done its part to ensure the cannon is kept in good condition, although the 56-inch oak wheels have been needing attention for a while. The weather is especially hard on them, he said.
Thompson said the wheels were transported by a volunteer from the Toulon American Legion and are in the capable hands of an Amish wheelwright. The cost is expected to be $1,000.
“We expect to get them back next spring. It’s a lot of work and a winter project,” said Thompson.
The American Legion is currently raising funds for the project. Those wishing to contribute to the cause are asked to send donations to the American Legion, PO Box 252, Kewanee.
