Today, the rebuilt reproduction Revolutionary War-era cannon, carriage, and trail stands guard at the Concord Bridge at the American Village.
Nearly seven months ago, the American Village delivered the cannon and carriage to the RC3 School in Hoover. It was in need of rebuilding.
RC3 is an acronym for Riverchase Career Connection Center, which is a workplace development school affiliated with the Hoover School System.
William Vanderwitt is the building construction instructor.
“This was my first time to rebuild a cannon and carriage, and it was an exciting community service project,” said Vanderwitt.
The materials required for the project were provided by the American Village, the school, and donations.
The cannon tube has a crack preventing it from ever being fired; a cannon ball was lodged in the cannon; portions of the trail were severely rotted; and the wheels had slight rot in the spokes.
Vanderwitt and his two high school students, Isaiah Barthold and Andrew Harney, from Hoover High School and Spain Park High School, respectively, went to work.
A challenging aspect of the project was building a wheel hub. The steel parts were also rebuilt by the Heavy Equipment Department.
Needless to say, this project was an excellent learning experience.
This field artillery piece was painted French Blue (light blue) in keeping with General Washington’s 1780 order to paint Continental Army artillery carriages light blue in honor of the French alliance.
In May, staff from the American Village loaded up the rebuilt cannon, carriage, and trail for the trip back to Montevallo.
The restoration project is in honor of the United States Semiquincentennial, the 250th anniversary of American independence.
