The Spanish Cannon
AKA The Inspector
This cannon, named The Inspector, was forged of copper for Spanish King Charles III in 1783. So how did this Spanish cannon get here, pointing at some fancy houses on Lindell?
After the Spanish American War (1898) Admiral Dewey was making his “victory rounds” across the US. The US Department of War (it was called this at the time) gifted the City of Saint Louis this cannon in 1900 to be displayed for and used in the victory celebrations.
The problem was that the city was low on cash and Forest Park was really, really low on cash. St. Louisans went downtown to greet the cannon with much fanfare. After its grand welcome, the cannon slowly made its way to Forest Park. Strapped for cannon display money, the park officials quietly tucked the cannon into the Mounted Police Stables. It remained there quietly for over a year until a satirical article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (see photo below), written in the voice of the cannon, chronicled how distressing it was to be a war hero, hidden in the stables, reduced to guarding chickens and haystacks. In April 1901, with their tails tucked, park officials quietly mounted the cannon pointing north towards Lindell. Of special note, the cannon is not pointed at any particular house. The houses downrange from the cannon were all built after the cannon was installed.
It wasn’t long before people forgot the origin story of the cannon. Without a plaque to explain what it was, perhaps people made assumptions. It used to be in close proximity to the (now removed) confederate monument, so perhaps many people assumed that it was a civil war cannon. In the early 2000s, someone was curious and did extensive research on it; the Inspector now has a plaque.
Have questions? This is Kelly’s favorite topic – ask her when you get back!
Photo courtesy of Missouri Historical Society.
