Seacoast Gun

A seacoast gun in a landlocked state. We are headed back to Lyon Park this time looking at the historical marker Seacoast Gun. But this isn’t just a historical marker the gun is there too.

The gun was originally installed along the Chesapeake Bay to defend our nations capital during the Civil war.

Weight over 8 thousand pounds it was designed to fire cannonballs 2000 yards. That’s right this gun is a cannon and it made its way to Sioux Falls South Dakota in 1904.

Col Tomas H Brown, a member of a local Joe Hooker Post of the Grand Army of the Republic, was instrumental in getting the cannon for Sioux Falls. Col Brown was able to take advantage of an offer by the government to relocate Civil War relics. Col Brown served in the Union Army during the Civil War and like a lot of Civil War Veterans moved out West after the war ended which is how he ended up in Sioux Falls. 

The cannon and accompanying statue of a Union Sentry Soldier were first displayed outside of Washington High School in Downtown Sioux Falls. However, in 1933 as the school expanded the cannon and the statue were moved to Lyon Park.

Both the cannon and statue almost became scrap metal during WW2, but they did indeed survive. Now if you have been to Lyon Park recently you may be wondering what statue I am talking about because there isn’t a statue there. But we will have to come back to Lyon Park if we want to know more about that little history mystery!