Approximately 200 Newark area residents, along with Civil War reenactors and public officials, gathered to rededicate the restored 1865 Rifled Barrel Three Inch Parrot Cannon as a war memorial at the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) Burial Section at Cedar Hill Cemetery on April 12.
According to a Facebook post by the Licking County Commissioners, April 12 holds historical significance as it marks the date in 1861 when Fort Sumter in South Carolina was attacked by Southern forces. The cannon has been on permanent loan to Licking County and has stood guard at the top of the hill main gate at Cedar Hill Cemetery for over a century. Exposure to weather conditions had caused deterioration of its wooden carriage and wheels. The County Veterans Service Commission, along with Licking County Commissioners Tim Dubb, Duane Flowers, and Rick Black, collaborated with the City of Newark and the Sons of Union Veterans to restore it. The restoration involved rebuilding the cannon with an aluminum carriage and wheels while preserving its original 800-pound barrel.
The Facebook post further detailed that the celebration included performances by the 73rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry (OVI) Regimental Band, participation from members of the Sons of Union Veterans, McKinley Camp (Sons of Union Veterans), 1st Ohio Light Artillery, and a rifle squad of reenactors including Professor Robert Mergel and First Sgt. Paul Walsh commanding the 110th OVI. The event featured two cannon firings performed by the 1st Ohio Light Artillery.
Speakers at the rededication ceremony included Licking County Commissioner Tim Bubb, Howard Long from the Licking County Historical Society, Newark Mayor Jeff Hall, Rev. Charles Finklea from Shiloh Missionary Church, Steve Ball representing the Sons of Union Veterans, Doug Stout from the Licking Library Veterans Program, and Dave Conner from the County Veterans Service Commission.
