Another historic point of interest at Irvine Park is the Civil War cannon in front of the Spanish-American War monument on the lake's edge. An adjacent plaque reads:"Cast in 1853 by the Ames Co. Foundry of Chicopee, Mass., this howitzer was brought to California during the Civil War and assigned to the garrison of California Volunteers at Drum Barracks, Wilmington. Secured from the State Armory in Los Angeles, it was installed on June 20, 1908, as Orange County's first courthouse cannon -- 'a symbol of peace.' Replaced in 1925 by a captured World War I field cannon, the old brass 'seven pounder' was brought to Irvine Park to guard this Spanish-American War Memorial which was dedicated November 11, 1926."
In his book, Bears to Briquets: A History of Irvine Park, 1897-1997, historian Jim Sleeper says the gun is "properly a twelve-pound brass howitzer," and tells us that
"...The gun worked its way west through the Indian campaigns, arriving in California sometime during the Civil War. Here it was assigned to ...Wilmington to defend the coast against Confederate privateers. Later, one story holds, the cannon was sold to Cuba, then captured back during our war with Spain."
Do you find yourself shooting digital photos of documents in archives (or other historical collections) while doing research? I'm helping gather information for an article on this growing phenomenon, and any information or anecdotes you can share (in the comments below) would be appreciated. I started shooting photos of documents myself about five or six years ago, and have noticed a lot more people doing the same recently. Thanks in advance for your two cents..
Old house restorers take note: Pasadena Architectural Salvage will hold a sale, Sat., July 31 & Sun., Aug.1, to celebrate their recent move to our new location. Everything will be at least 20% off the marked price.
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Our pal Werner Weiss at Yesterland has posted an article about Katella Ave. and how it got its name.
