From sometime during the first quarter of the 20th century through the late 1970s and early 1980s, two cannons were located on the campus of Bowdon Elementary School  (which was formerly Bowdon High School) on East College Street.  Several stories are told about how the cannons arrived in Bowdon.  Some think that one of them was a Revolutionary War naval cannon donated by the Daughters of the American Revolution and originally placed on the grounds of the Ladies’ Clubhouse where it sat on a wooden carriage with spoked wheels.  Some think that the second cannon was provided by Congressman Charles Adamson when a student wrote to him asking for a World War I cannon.  This cannon had its metal carriage, but was mounted on concrete pedestals. Another story credits the Bowdon American Legion as acquiring the cannon as a war memorial.  Other people think that one or both cannons were Civil War era. None of these stories can be authenticated, but many adults remember playing on these cannons as students.  The most frequent story is getting fingers mashed!

 

The cannons disappeared when Bowdon Elementary relocated to Kent Road.  The subject of the missing cannons came up often when members of the Bowdon Area Historical Society were reminiscing.

 

Early in the spring of 2010, a phone call came from a man in Alabama saying that he thought he had found a cannon barrel in some undergrowth near his home and that he had reason to believe that it might belong in Bowdon.  A scouting expedition armed with pictures of the cannons departed and by the next day the cannon barrel was back in Bowdon.  The carriage was missing.

 

The cannon marking was very vague making identification difficult.  On Site Machine Works provided the name of an artillery expert located in Washington, DC.  Using pictures in the BAHS collection and current pictures of the barrel, he was able to identify it as a 3 inch Hotchkiss Mountain Gun in use during the Spanish American War.  He provided the information that the United States purchased only 50 such guns from the French manufacturer.   Manufacturing dates ranged from 1875 to 1902. (Visit the Spanish American War centennial wesbsite at www.spanamwar./hotchkis.htm for pictures and technical information,) 

 

The Smithsonian Institute provided that between 1901 and 1918, General William Crozier was the Chief of Ordinance for the US Army.  He saw to it that various arsenals around the country cleaned house and condemned cannons were sold or donated to communities or fraternal organizations for display.  In 1914 Congress closed several arsenals and even more materials were liquidated.  By 1917 any remaining guns would have been melted down for use in the war effort (World War I).  This information narrowed the time fame for possible acquisition of the cannon in Bowdon.  The

Smithsonian contact also verified that the 3 inch Hotchkiss was used during the Spanish American War and the Moro Campaigns in the Phillipines.

 

Through the efforts of Bowdon Area Historical Society, the City of Bowdon and Heflin resident, Bob Young, who replicated the carriage, the cannon refurbishing returned the gun to its original state. A dedication ceremony was held in the City Park during Founders’ Day in August 2011. Later that fall, with the assistance of Whitman’s Glass Shop, the cannon, along with its accompanying historical information, was placed in the lobby of Bowdon City Hall. 

 

If readers have any newspaper articles, other written information or pictures or would like to share memories about the Bowdon cannons, please contact Jim Rowell at Jimlr43@aol.com or  at   770-258-3976.