The Guns of Lockport

This article originally appeared in the Buffalo News  2012/13 when I was writing a monthly historical column for the newspaper.

Standing guard over at least a generation of children’s games in the City of Lockport are two artillery pieces. A large, black sprawling gun sitting in Altro Park on Willow Street and a shorter, stubby gun in Ida Fritz Park on West Avenue, captured the imagination of many a youngster who dreamed of being the heroes of the movies.  To the children, the actual provenance of the guns never really mattered, but a certain mystique surrounded the history of these silent sentinels. Where did they come from?  How long have they been there?  Have they actually been fired in battle?

In 1920 Major General Williams, Chief of Ordinance offered the City of Lockport, the two Tonawandas, and the City of Buffalo a 7-inch Mortar, Model 1892 from the arsenal at Watervliet, NY;  a gun, weighing 1700 pounds and used as a coastal defense piece.  Operating through official channels, Williams contacted Congressman S. Wallace Dempsey.  Dempsey, a Hartland native, sent a letter in February of that year, to Lockport Mayor, Ernest Crosby regarding the placing of cannon from the Excess Ordinance Department of the US Army in one of the city parks. 

Gun at Ida Fritz Park

Williams stated that “this mortar was not considered safe for firing and is loaned with the understanding that, should future service demand, it is subject to return to the Government.”  The cannon arrived in Lockport in April of 1920 and was placed in the West Avenue Park (later Ida Fritz Park) near Transit.  Alderman Paul R. Schultz spearheaded a committee to dedicate the new memorial, on June 12, 1920.

Shortly after the acquisition of the land for Outwater Park, city aldermen decided that it would be fitting if the community’s newest park had an artillery piece as well.  The Parks Department had already planted 54 elm trees in the park in memory of the “Lockport boys who made the supreme sacrifice in the world war” [World War I].  In November of 1920, Congressman Dempsey again petitioned the Chief of Ordinance for an additional piece.

Major General C.C. Williams responded with an approval to send a Gatling Gun, Model 1900 to Lockport.  Unfortunately, the Common Council demurred on accepting this gun, feeling it was too small to fit in the broad expanse of Outwater Park.  Perhaps in jest, Williams offered a 49,000 pound, 15-inch Rodman Gun instead.  The Rodman Gun was one of the largest siege guns ever produced.  Responsible with paying freight from Watervliet on that gun, the Common Council politely accepted a smaller, yet still impressive 4.72 inch, 40 caliber gun and carriage from the Coast Defenses of Southern New York.

This piece, with gun and carriage together, weighed over 19,000 pounds.  The gun alone was 16 feet long and weighed 4,650 pounds.  Amid much fanfare, the artillery piece was placed in Outwater Park.

Although the Great War was termed as the “war to end all wars,” the United States and the world once again found itself in conflict with World War II.  As part of the effort on the home front, great scrap drives were organized to assist the government in building new ships, tanks and planes.   On September 3, 1942, the Superintendent of Parks was directed by the Common Council to “dispose of the two cannons in West Avenue and Outwater Parks” for the purpose of turning in all scrap metal for the war effort.  On October 8^th, City Clerk Joseph Hillis reported that he had received $113.94 from Wm. Kugler & Bro., “covering scrap from the two iron cannons.”

With the end of WWII and the declaration of peace, the country moved toward honoring another generation of soldiers, sailors and Marines.  This afforded an opportunity to again place excess ordinance in public spaces around the U.S.  Alderman Harold Altro introduced legislation to “obtain War Equipment for the Parks” in January 1946.  A month later, the Chief of Ordinance responded with the approval of one light tank, one 155mm Howitzer, and one 155mm gun.  The Council accepted all three pieces, first receiving a 25-ton Sherman M-4-A tank on June 7, 1946.  The City was responsible for the crating and shipping costs, which amounted to $141.

This tank was planned to be installed at Outwater Park near the World War I boulder.  When it arrived, its Curtiss-Wright airplane engine had been removed and it still bore the variegated striping of its original camouflage.   Under the supervision of the Parks Superintendent, all loose parts and openings were welded shut to keep the memorial safe from the curiosity of children.  Ultimately, however, the tank was never placed in the park.  In September of 1948, the City Clerk had received a check for $250 from Wm. Kugler & Bro. for scrapping the M-4 tank.

Shortly after the arrival of the tank, the city also received the 155mm howitzer, which was originally destined for placement in Willow Street Park.  However, upon receiving it, the Common Council decided that the larger 155mm long gun, originally slated for West Avenue Park, would better fit in the vast space at Willow Street, and the howitzer was settled in at West Avenue.

The 155mm howitzer is of French origin, model year 1917, produced in 1918, and sold to the United States.  Officially it is known as “Canon de 155 C modèle 1917 Schneider.”  The US purchased many of these guns, sending along the French artillery pieces with the first US regiments in France during World War I.  US armourers eventually produced their own version of the 155mm, although they were not introduced to the American troops until the war was over.  The American version of the French piece had a straight shield rather than the curved shield seen on the Lockport howitzer, and both versions of the weapon were used as the primary American howitzer until the advent of the M1 howitzer in 1942.  The wheels were removed and the base set into concrete at the park.  As with other memorials of this type, the gun was painted black and intended to be a memorial to those men lost during the war.

In Willow Street’s Altro Park stands the 155mm long gun.  Manufactured in 1940 at the Rock Island arsenal, this piece was a copy of the French 155mm, carrying the designation of M1918M1 and was manufactured in 1940. The United States-manufactured guns of this class were used for coastal defense and were typically were mounted on a central pillar with a rail for the trailing arms behind it, allowing the guns to swivel across an arc.  Most of these guns were phased out by 1942 when fixed batteries came into prominent use and were replaced by the 155mm “Long Tom.”  Again upon arrival in Lockport and placement in the park, the rubber wheels were removed. 

During the preparation of this article, another cannon was discovered in the front yard of the armory on Willow Street.  After visiting this piece and consulting with various artillery experts, it has been determined that the cannon is likely a display piece only.  The carriage and barrel are a mismatch and indications are that the barrel is not of military quality.  The absence of a touch-hole would indicate that the cannon was never meant to be fired.  Additionally, the carriage, while similar to one from the Napoleonic period, is made of cast iron rather than wood.  Very likely, the cannon was used as part of a display, possibly the Pan-American Exposition or a similar event.  We were able to discern that it came to Lockport from the Connecticut Street Armory in Buffalo after being displayed at the Niagara Falls Armory until its closure.

While these cannon and the ill-fated tank never saw combat action, they serve as silent reminders of those men and women who have laced up the boots, strapped on a weapon and served our country with distinction.  Our Guns of Lockport have stood as mysterious beacons from the past.  Perhaps knowing their history, we can once again honor them for what they are – memorials to the men and women of the Armed Forces of the United States.