Have you ever noticed two cannons in Main Street USA’s square? These are the famous Town Square Cannons, on the street since 1955.
These are real 19th century cannons, once in the possession of the French army. They were never fired in battle, and have now been sealed for permanent use as monuments.
When designing Main Street USA, Imagineers drew inspiration from Walt’s hometown of Marceline, but also from their own home towns. They noticed a common trend of commemorating battles, whether through statues, cannons, or other landmarks. To add to Main Street USA’s Midwestern feel, they installed two real cannons, flanking either side of the square!
Here’s the technical details on those cannon:
http://www.spanamwar.com/hotchkis.htm
The gun was designed for mobility and punch–and was used by US forces during the Spanish-American War.
These guns are three inch Hotchkiss guns. Although the Hotchkiss firm is french the guns are american. This type saw use in the Sanish American war and Philippine Insurrection.
I think there is another real civil war cannon at Disney Land. It is a a 6 pounder Wiard gun, manufactured from 1861 – 1864 and it is in Frontier land near front gate of the old fort. I don’t know the history behind the guns use but would love to hear it if anyone knows it.
I’ll have to check that out on my next trip; thanks for the tip! I’ll look into the history and see if I can find any more info 🙂
This is very neat. I did not know these are real!