Pair of Civil War era Cannon - Columbia County Courthouse, Dayton Washington - Static Artillery Displays on Waymarking.com

According to a Washington State History Essay by By Phil Dougherty at historylink.org (visit link) the "two Civil War-era cannons were installed on either side of the walkway" in 1915.

The cannon were operational during World War 1 when some pranksters set off the cannon shattering the front windows of the courthouse.

From the Historylink essay:

"The Cannon Boys

On April 6, 1917, the United States declared war against Germany and entered World War I. That month, Dayton held a Patriotic Day celebration. One of the courtyard cannons was loaded with powder for display, but it was not fired during the celebration. That night, after the festivities ended, three high school boys decided to fire off the cannon as a practical joke. To ensure that as many as possible in the town would hear the explosion, the boys added extra powder to what was already in the cannon.

The cannon went off with such force that nearly all of the windows in front of the courthouse were shattered. The boys owned up to the stunt and agreed to pay for damages. But the citizens of Dayton forgave the trio and ended up raising a fund to help "The Cannon Boys," as they became known, pay for the repair costs. "

What type of artillery is this?: Cannon Where is this artillery located?: Government building What military of the world used this device?: Unknown Date artillery was placed on display: 01/01/1915 Still may work: yes Date artillery was in use: Not listed Parking location to view this Waymark: Not Listed Cost?: Not Listed Artillery is no longer operational: Not Listed Are there any geocaches at this location?: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Two pictures are required for this Waymark. Please take a close up picture of the artillery. Take a second with the artillery in the distance and capture as much of the surroundings as possible. Name the Waymark with first the name of the area and second what the artillery is. An example would be if it were a cannon in front of the Montgomery Armory you would name the Waymark: Montgomery Armory Cannon.

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