Cannons Over Columbia!

The scent of metal and gunpowder sharpened the air and hung heavily in the muggy stillness of the September noon. Shifting his canteen, Captain McCawley dragged his sleeve across the sweat beading on his forehead, and gazed over to where the cannon was being readied on the Grassy Knoll. The local men and women of the town had gathered below and now shifted about uneasily, speaking in murmurs, holding back nervously. The warning went up, the call went out, and Captain McCawley braced himself for the noise of cannon fire, hoping dearly that the glass windows of the commander’s office would not shatter.

Patrick McCawley, Accessions Archivist and Supervisor of Archival Processing, has fond memories of the 2006 Civil War Symposium, where the Chester Cannon was fired outside the archives. The cannon itself was dug up during a utility project in the county of Chester many years ago. The cannon was cleaned and refurbished, an old artillery shell was drilled out, and it was given a chance to perform on our very own Grassy Knoll.

In the end, the cannon fire did not break the windows of the Archives, the townspeople were greatly amused, the food was good, the walking tours superb, the speakers profound, and much revelry and merriment was had by all. And Captain McCawley, who isn’t really a captain at all, hung up his uniform, traded his canteen in for something eco-friendly and recyclable, went back to his records, and lived happily ever after.

Don’t miss this year’s Civil War Symposium, held September 18-19. Take it from Patrick himself – if you love to wear your period costumes, you won’t be alone. We have a few living historians coming this year!