Three Rivers Town Cannon

Before the Civil War, local militias in Michigan received arms and equipment donated by the federal government under the Militia Act of 1808. During the Mexican War of 1845-47, the army's new artillery system proved very successful and was widely reported in the press. In 1847, Michigan chose to draw an accumulated share of military equipment in cannons, and the state loaned each cannon to a town that agreed to train men to use and maintain it. This cannon was made by Ames Mfg. Co. of Chicopee, Mass., and was serial numbered 323 by inspector Jas. W. Ripley on August 26, 1847. It was part of a shipment of seventeen 6 pounder guns, with carriages and full equipment, sent in late 1847 to Michigan, then still a frontier state. State records after the Civil War show a bronze 6 pounder gun on loan to Three Rivers. It was probably used in Michigan for training during the Civil War, and local history indicates it was frequently fired for ceremonial events. By 1888, the cannon was too obsolete for serious military use, and the state ordered it returned to Lansing for disposal. Instead, the village was allowed to purchase the bronze gun tube for 12 1/2 cents a pound, according to the local newspaper of February 10th. The cannon continued to be used for local ceremonies and celebrations until it was retired for safety reasons, and it remains a local landmark.

Three Rivers, Michigan · United States