Talk:Cannonsburg, Michigan

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Latest comment: 16 years ago1 comment1 person in discussion

Moved the following content from the article as I was unable to find sources to verify it. Feel free to reword and re-add it with appropriate citations. older ≠ wiser 19:59, 25 August 2008 (UTC)Reply

As a show of gratitude, L.G. Cannon bestowed upon the village the gift of a small cannon engraved with his name and the date. The cannon which was fired on holidays, became so popular with locals, they sought excuses to fire it. This practice ceased in 1885. Out of concern that it might discharge if fired by untrained personnel (as happened in nearby Rockford, MI), some of the town ‘fathers’ took it away to be buried under the cover of darkness. On July 3, 1885, several younger men, ages ranging from 25-40, found its burial place. They then dug it up, cleaned it & prepared it to be fired on July 4. Unfortunately, because of either age, condition or defect of the cannon, it overheated & the ramrod shot through the leg of one of the men, Walter Thompsett, who was assisting in its firing. Despite the effort of a local physician, he died, leaving behind a wife and daughter. Again during the early morning hours while it was still dark on July 5th, some of the town fathers, having seen their fears realized, took the cannon away to be dismantled and then re-buried. Rumor has it that it was buried in one of many nearby sinkholes. Four years later, the town experienced another sobering event. A “devil” fire started possibly by a wayward spark from a defective chimney of the Thomas hotel and that entire side of the street had become “one sheet of flame,” engulfing nearby businesses and homes on both sides of the main street were lost. The loss was approximately 90% of its downtown businesses. Built at the site of the Bear Creek Rapids (near the intersection of Cannonsburg and Honey Creek Roads), Cannonsburg, at its 19th century peak, boasted a gristmill, woolen mill, cider mill, sawmill, cooper shop, two wagon shops, three blacksmiths, a hotel, a school (8 throughout the township), bootmakers, painters, carpenters, 6 physicians and 6 churches.

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