Staring down history: Students restore captured WWI cannon
The German howitzer is a WWI trophy captured by American forces. It was able to fire at a high trajectory and hit targets six miles away. It was donated to the town in 1932 and has called Central Park, at Chestnut and Bartlet streets, its home since then.
The howitzer was removed from The Park on Dec. 26 in preparation for its restoration. It was delivered to the school to be worked on in April. The cannon rusted due to the elements outside and became unsafe for visitors to enjoy, particularly children who liked to climb on it.
Last Tuesday morning, Greater Lawrence Technical School student Juan Rodriguez tried to stare down the barrel of the century old cannon as the restoration project wrapped up.
Rodrigues, along with 13 other students and faculty members in the Career and Technical Education's auto collision and repair and carpentry programs, helped spruce up the storied cannon.
This is the third time the cannon has been restored by the school's students and the first time since 2009. The restoration project 16 years ago integrated several departments, including history faculty and students who were able to unearth more of the storied cannon's past.
During the second restoration project completed in 2009, an inscription was unearthed on the cannon, buried under layers of paint. District Committee Chair Thomas Hatem said the cannon had been painted over so many times by Andover Department of Public Works and volunteers that the town didn't know the inscription was there.
Now, a French inscription translating to 'The king's final word' can be read on the cannon's barrel because of the previous restoration efforts made by Greater Lawrence Technical School. Another inscription on the cannon details its capture between Oct. 31 and Nov. 2, 1918 by the 37th Division.
The goal was always to restore and not renovate the more than 100-year-old artillery, said lead auto collision instructor Manuel Malave.
'We wanted to keep its integrity,' Malave said.
Some rust was removed with sandblasting before epoxy primer was applied to ensure the cannon will stay in its current condition for at least another decade before likely being touched up again for subsequent repairs.
Some of the restoration was outsourced to repair the wooden wheels and for sandblasting. Students helped prime the cannon for its new paint job. The project is about 90% complete and almost ready to be returned to the town of Andover, said auto collision instructor Walter Murphy.
Wooden sitting platforms, made by the carpentry students, now sit where a spotter and shooter would have positioned themselves at the aiming and recoiling mechanisms to fire the artillery. Murphy said he imagined the soldiers in their designated spots, working together to load the cannon or make adjustments in order to aim it.
'I don't think I'd want to be sitting here when a shot went off,' Murphy said with a laugh, noting the proximity of the seats to where the cannon blasted off from.
Students gathered around the cannon as Murphy talked to them about how far things have come with war weaponry, and its automation, since WWI.
Sophomores Jose Inoa and Juan Rodriguez said they enjoyed learning the history of the cannon. Rodriguez chimed in about the parallels pf working on the cannon and learning its back story in history class.
'We got to see how they went hand-in-hand,' Rodriguez said.
Applying 'Battleship Gray' paint is all that's left to do.
'It was worth it,' student Edwin Nunez Ramirez said to see the near-finished product.
Hatem, who was an instructor at Greater Lawrence Technical School for 28 years, said the school has been part of numerous projects like this and each has its own significance related to history. Over the years, the students have also restored two WWII cannons for Lawrence and a Civil War-era one for Methuen.
He said the restoration's value lies in giving Andover, and the other cities, something its residents are able to enjoy. Hatem said he sees the project as a 'thank you' to the cities and towns that help the technical school and who's taxpayer dollars it benefits.
'The school is known for giving back to the community,' Hatem said. 'We love doing that.'
Murphy anticipated the cannon will be back at The Park in the next few weeks.
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