Don't miss the first test firing of San Diego's 1876 Centennial Gun!
March/April 2017
Centennial Gun as found. Photo courtesy of David Lakin
Close up view showing embossed -1776 San Diego 1876-
During Restoration and building of new wood carriage
San Diego's Centennial Cannon, which was recently rediscovered and restored, will be loaded with black powder and shot during a special demonstration event at Sykes Adobe Farmhouse in Escondido on March 4 from 1 to 2:30pm. Before the shoot, experts will discuss the cannon's history, significance, and restoration. Space is limited, so early registration is encouraged HERE(scroll to event).
This rare 19th century San Diego artifact traces its origins to William Augustus Begole (1827-1901), a civic leader and tinsmith who owned a Gaslamp Quarter hardware store. He ordered the cannon from the San Diego Foundry for the 1876 Centennial celebration. It was recently recovered from a Pacific Beach yard after SOHO executive director Bruce Coons identified it two days before July 4 from his memory of seeing it in a historic photo of Horton Plaza Park in downtown San Diego.
After learning the cannon's history, Begole's biographer, SOHO member and descendant Lael Montgomery , contacted her cousins, the Begole-Petersons, and the family made a generous gift to restore the iron artifact to working condition and to recreate its missing wood carriage. This first shoot since the restoration is dedicated with gratitude to the Begole family.
The Bandy Blacksmith Guild of Escondido restored the cannon to exacting specifications and built its new wood carriage. Longtime SOHO supporter Betty Frizzell of Lakeside donated the antique wheels making this restoration a countywide collaboration of likeminded history lovers.
Designed as a noisemaker, the cannon was never used as a weapon. It is now part of SOHO's collection and will be on display in the Whaley House Museum courtroom when it is not out on duty. For background on how the cannon was rediscovered, read the San Diego Union-Tribune story HERE and our own story HERE.
Montgomery spent close to five years researching her cousin, William Begole, who came west in 1849 and to San Diego in 1869. She recently published his biography. Read it HERE.
Historic image beside the newly restored cannon
Program for March 4, 1-2:30pm
Welcome by Interpretive Ranger David Vidal and certified cannoner
Bruce Coons, SOHO, will give a 5-minute mini history of the Centennial Gun and its rediscovery
Lael Montgomery, author San Diego City Father William Augustus Begole: Story of a Workhorse Pioneer, will give biographical highlights
James Thayer, Bandy Blacksmith Guild, will describe the restoration process
A black-powder demonstration (firing) of the cannon by the Blacksmith Guild
The Sikes Adobe Farmhouse, 12655 Sunset Drive in Escondido, is part of a homestead established around 1870. It is one of the area's oldest adobe homes from the American era. The Sikes Adobe Historic Farmstead is a remarkable survivor of San Diego's rural history and, as such, has a special role to play in preserving the legacy of old California. Learn more HERE.
Directions from I-15
EXIT Via Rancho Pkwy
Turn EAST onto Via Rancho Pkwy
Turn RIGHT onto Sunset Dr. (1st traffic light from northbound I-15; 2nd traffic light from southbound I-15)
Turn LEFT into the Sikes Adobe Staging Area (dirt parking lot past the driving range), or park along the street
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