The Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy re-installed two long lost cannons at Front Park Thursday. The Parrott Rifles, from the Civil War era, were displayed around the semi-circle of the plaza facing Lake Erie in the 19th century.
The historic relics were two of eight that used to be displayed in city parks, before they were sold for parts during the Great Depression. Olmsted Parks Conservancy Architect Tony James says the cannons were found abandoned outside of a city storage lot.
“Once we discovered those we brought them back to the Delaware Park Labor Center. So, they were inside there for a couple of years while we worked on getting the grant funding to restore them. They were totally rusted. So, all of the rust had to be removed, all of the iron was treated and then painted,” said James.
James says the cannon’s original carriage bases were too deteriorated and could not be saved. He says the Parrott Rifles are sitting brand new bases created to
replicate the originals.
Olmsted Parks Conservancy President and CEO Thomas Herrera-Mishler says it’s a great feeling when the Conservancy can help put a piece of Buffalo’s history back in place.
“It’s fitting that these cannons come home on the morning before our nation’s independence day. The Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy is bringing history alive by restoring the integrity of this historic landscape and presenting it to the public for their enjoyment,” said Herrera-Mishler.
The cannon restoration project was completed with a grant from the New York Power Authority.