By Harrison Power
Along the I Street frontage of Courthouse Park stands a collection of veterans and war memorials, and among the monuments to service and sacrifice by local veterans has been a cannon, over time multiple cannons in fact. Until 2023, an antique Japanese cannon had stood prominently in central downtown, the second cannon to reside on the site over the course of 100 years. Although currently removed from display, the piece of Japanese artillery dating to before the first World War has served the Modesto community as a tangible piece of military history in recognition for all those who have served.
The first cannon displayed on the Courthouse grounds was an Austrian 107mm artillery field piece with carriage, which had been granted to Modesto in 1925 by the War Department after a successful subscription campaign by the American Legion Post 74 raised funds to transport it here from New Jersey. The field piece had been captured from Austrian forces during World War 1, and was the only such cannon gifted to a city in California at the time.
In early February 1932, the American Legion Post 74 received permission by Stanislaus County Supervisors to construct a cement platform to mount the Austrian cannon to replace the gravel patch it set on prior. On March 7, 1932, the cannon was mounted on its new platform and formally presented to the County by State, District, and local post leaders from the American Legion. Among those in attendance were Clarence Crow and Frank B. Collier of Post 74, State Commander Van Hogan, and District Commander Ed J. Mitchell.
In October 1942, in the midst of World War 2, County Supervisors authorized the field piece to be returned to the Army per its nationwide request for war relics to be salvaged in the scrap metal drive to support the war effort. At the Armistice Day celebration on November 11, 1942, the cannon was unceremoniously unmounted from its platform and loaded onto a transport truck to the Stockton base for salvage. As the Modesto Bee noted on that day, the cannon “stiffly rolled over its plaque In Peace As In War We Serve, inducted into service again in a more modern form.” Modesto Post 74, in return for the donation to the war scrap effort, received a certificate entitling it to a “priority rating for a similar memento of World War 2 to replace the salvaged relic.”
It appears this replacement certificate was redeemed and honored, because the finale of Modesto Post 74’s Armistice Day celebration in November 1948 was the installation of a Japanese field piece on the Courthouse Park platform – the very cannon known by parade goers and passersby in Downtown Modesto today. Although the cannon was received in the spoils of World War 2, the 75mm Type 38 Japanese field gun is actually from 1908 and had likely been used by the Imperial Japanese Army throughout both World Wars. The cannon saw minor facelifts when it was refurbished in 1954 and repainted in 1969, then later underwent a full restoration in 1991 by the Stanislaus County Building Maintenance Department, headed by Bruce Roehr, Frank Kuchensky, and Francis Arp.
The restoration project included rebuilt wooden wheels, sandblasted and repainted components, brass parts preserved to prevent tarnishing, and extensive research at the library to ensure the restored conditions were close to as they were when in the field. When the Japanese cannon was re-dedicated on July 4, 1991, a new memorial plaque was added to the platform as a tribute to the troops of World War 1, World War 2, the Vietnam War, the Korean War, the Persian Gulf War, and Expeditionary Forces All.
The prominent cannon at the Courthouse Park, while gone from its platform, is luckily not missing – it was removed likely in 2023 due to poor condition and is currently reported to be in storage. There is no confirmed timeline for getting the cannon restored again, but just as the challenge of its restoration had been met previously, hopefully there is a commitment to seeing the cannon returned to its post.
While the cannon known to Modestans today may not be the original cannon which made its way across the country to Modesto in 1925, it has served the longtime war memorial for over 70 years in the heart of Downtown. The mounted cannon when on display sits silently, disarmed, a testament to those who have bravely fought and given their lives in global conflict. Through community partnership and collaboration, the cannon can be restored again so it may be returned to its humble platform, to continue silently standing guard over the honorable memory and legacy of those commemorated by the memorial.
