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Donation brings Booming Legacy of a 19th-Century Civic Leader
By Ann Jarmusch

Photo courtesy David Marshall

San Diego's 300-pound Centennial Cannon that nearly went from Pacific Beach yard ornament to scrap heap in 2013 is now undergoing restoration well in advance for ceremonial use during San Diego's 250th birthday celebration. No one knows how the cast iron artifact came to rest in the yard, but Barbara Rowland after being turned down by a number of groups was told to call SOHO before disposing of her late father's heavy metal. Noting the cannon's engraving, "1776 - San Diego - 1876," Bruce Coons mined his photographic memory placing a historic photo of Horton Plaza with the cannon displayed on its carriage. The donated cannon, which was never used as a weapon, only a noisemaker, is now part of SOHO's collection.

On July 6, 1876, the San Diego Union described the cannon, in use at Horton Plaza Park, as "a sharp-voiced little gun" that "boomed away briskly with a national salute."

Lael Montgomery, a descendant of William Augustus Begole, the San Diego civic leader responsible for the cannon, has made a generous gift to restore it and its carriage. Begole (1827-1901) was very active in civic affairs and government. A tinsmith by trade, he owned a Gaslamp Quarter hardware store and ordered the cannon from the San Diego Foundry for the 1876 Centennial celebration. The Bandy Blacksmith Guild of Escondido will provide a new pair of long-lost metal wheels and massive wood trails as it restores the cannon. The group reached out to SOHO after reading about the find in the San Diego Union-Tribune. Read article

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