A cannon captured in the Spanish-American War by Admiral Dewey was presented to Three Oaks after its citizens raised $1,400 for a memorial to the men of the battleship Maine, the largest per capita contribution of any community in the nation. A local paper proudly boasted, “Three Oaks Against the World.” The park was dedicated on October 17, 1899, by President William McKinley and others, and presentation of the cannon took place on June 28, 1900, with Helen Miller Gould, called the Spanish-American War’s “Florence Nightingale,” as guest of honor. Thousands of people attended each occasion.