Cannonball!
Feb 2, 2012 6:23 pm
[caption id=“attachment_4893” align=“aligncenter” width=“300” caption=“The cannonball was found earlier today behind the seawall, near Soissons Dock”]
[/caption] We often find interesting things on Governors Island, and today was no exception. This morning, while doing construction work near Soissons Dock, workers found an old cannon ball near the seawall. NYPD came out to assess the cannonball and determined that it was a solid shot made of iron and contained no explosive material. Since it was deemed safe, it can now join other cannonballs that visitors see on the Island, like those near Fort Jay. [caption id=“attachment_4894” align=“aligncenter” width=“300” caption=“Cannonballs near the entrance to Fort Jay”]
[/caption] The cannonball is about 12 inches in diameter and could have possibly come from the 15 inch cannons in Fort Jay or Castle Williams, but it is more likely that they were left over from when the Island was an arsenal and surplus cannonballs were sent here. In historic photos from the Army era, one can see that cannonballs were very prevalent and were often piled in front of buildings or used for decorative purposes on lawns. [caption id=“attachment_4897” align=“aligncenter” width=“300” caption=“Cannonballs, like those seen here on the right, were placed on the lawn outside of Pershing Hall. (photo from NY Public Library)”]
[/caption] In 1942, most of these were hauled off to melt into scrap metal to support the war effort, but perhaps one or two remained behind, like the one we found today! [caption id=“attachment_4896” align=“aligncenter” width=“300” caption=“This historic photo shows a cannon at Fort Jay with cannon balls at the ready. (photo from NY Public Library)”]
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