Articles in regional publications that pertain to a wide range of North Carolina-related topics.
Big Guns in Greenville
Record #:
23706
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Abstract:
Big guns have always been a part of Greenville’s history. The “Brickle Cannon,” located on the Town Common, was manufactured between 1760-70 and was used on board a trading vessel about 1797 for defense against the French during the troubled administration of John Adams. The cannon was used for many years during political campaigns, was thrown in the river, buried innumerable times, drug to Greene Mill Run, and sat at the base of the Confederate monument in Cherry Hill Cemetery. The next big gum was a large artillery piece from WWI which sat in front of the County Court House and then moved to ECTTC in 1926. The large howitzer sat beside the Wilson Pergola in front of what is now Garrett Dorm until 1942 when it was sold for scrap. In 1966, ECU rolled out its spirit cannon and in 1971 a 80 pd. “WWI machine gun” was discovered underneath Fleming Hall. During the Cold War the Greenville National Guard had a 105 Howitzer and in 1963 possessed an “Atomic Cannon,” which took 16 men to operate.
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