Ann Munson’s reaction probably represents that of most most people who notice the cannon entrenched nose-first on the downtown corner of Third and Laurel streets.
“I looked down while walking on the sidewalk, and I said, ‘What the heck is that?'” said Munson, a reference librarian at the East Baton Rouge Parish Library’s River Center Branch. “It was metal, and I wondered if it was some kind of standpipe. So, I did some research on it.”
A cannon entrenched in the sidewalk on the corner of Third and Laurel streets in downtown Baton Rouge once fronted the Sumter House, also known as the Fort Sumter Saloon.
To be fair, the cannon is nestled next to a fire hydrant and trash can on Third Street’s 400 block, which sometimes renders it invisible to passersby. Still, if someone happens to notice the cannon while, say, glancing down at their smart phones, all they have to do is to raise their eyes for a quick explanation.
A historical marker tells the story behind this cannon. Or rather, it tells a story.
This 1950s photo shows the former Fort Sumter Saloon building, left, after it was remodeled to house a retail shirt shop. The cannon can be seen in the lower right-hand corner. The general structure of the saloon building was still intact when the photo was taken.
The marker is one of many marking historic sites and happenings around downtown Baton Rouge. It offers a CliffsNotes summary for the cannon: “According to local tradition, Charles Weick named his newly purchased saloon the day after Fort Sumter was fired on, 1861, and put the cannon out front for atmosphere. It was one of the city’s most popular saloons until prohibition.”
Wieck’s name is misspelled in the marker with the “i” and “e” reversed, and though the marker is somewhat correct, there are some disparities.
The cannon that once fronted the Fort Sumter Saloon, also known as the Sumter House, is commemorated by a historical marker. Here, the cannon is seen on the backdrop of a parking lot where once stood the saloon.
Munson’s research led her to Hilda S. Krousel’s 2012 book, “Landmarks and Monuments of Baton Rouge,” highlighting the cannon.
“Some claim that it is a pre-Revolutionary War carronade, while others assert that it is a piece of Spanish artillery captured in 1810 when the Baton Rouge fort was taken by General Philemon Thomas,” Krousel wrote.
Krousel was right about the Spanish artillery, according to John Sykes’ research. Sykes, the executive director of BREC’s Magnolia Mound, is working on a book about downtown Baton Rouge landmarks. He also has given downtown walking tours highlighting the city’s historical places. Sykes references a 1918 State-Times article written by Col. John McGrath, a story, which he says, provides the most comprehensive history of both the saloon and cannon.
The entrenched cannon on the sidewalk at the corner of Third and Laurel streets is accompanied by a piece of cannonball. The cannon once fronted the Fort Sumter Saloon, also known as Sumter House.
First off, while other writers refer to Wieck’s bar as the Fort Sumter Saloon, McGrath calls it Sumter House. The saloon located at Third and Laurel was actually the second location of the bar.
“He opened the first bar in 1859 in a two-story building on the corner of Third and Main,” Sykes said.
Wieck started out calling his place the Union Saloon. That was before the beginning of the Civil War, and Wieck’s choice of names may contradict the traditional story that he was a Confederate sympathizer.
Whatever his political beliefs, the fact is his first bar was called Union.Â
“Baton Rouge was divided 50-50 on succession at the time,” Sykes said. “Wieck moved his bar to Third and Laurel when the city decided to demolish the building he was in to build the Welsh and Levy buildings.”
The historical marker that accompanies the cannon entrenched in the sidewalk on the corner of Third and Laurel streets. The cannon once fronted the Fort Sumter Saloon, also known as Sumter House.
Wieck changed his bar’s name to the Fort Sumter Saloon, or Sumter House, after the Confederacy fired upon Fort Sumter. Despite speculation, the cannon had no connection to Sumter or the Civil War.
“The cannon, according to the colonel, was one of the cannons captured from the Spanish fort in 1810 in Baton Rouge,” Sykes said.
This was the same Baton Rouge fort captured by Spanish forces under Bernardo de Galvez from the British in 1779 during the Revolutionary War. The fortress, known as Fort San Carlos, was armed with 16 guns.
Another view of the cannon and its historical marker on the corner of Third and Laurel streets. The cannon once fronted the Fort Sumter Saloon, also known as Sumter House.
It was briefly occupied by local British and American settlers in September 1810 as a part of the West Florida Republic. The U.S. Army took possession of the fort in December 1810.
“Col. McGrath writes that in the 1850s, the cannons from the fort were sent to the John Hill Foundry on Third Street to be melted into sugar house machinery,” Sykes said. “But the foundry sent the cannons back to the city to be imbedded into street corners to keep vehicles off the sidewalks. If you look at other old pictures of downtown Baton Rouge, you’ll see some of these cannons.”
But only the Sumter bar’s cannon seems to have survived, staying in place long after Prohibition closed the bar in 1918. The building later was divided into sections, which housed retail shops.
The building was modified through the years and eventually demolished to make way for a parking lot.
Sykes also takes time to debunk the historical inaccuracy that Wieck opened his first bar in the building once occupied by another popular pre-Civil War Baton Rouge bar called the Rainbow Saloon. That bar was located at Lafayette and Main streets, a few blocks away from either of Wieck’s establishments.Â
This 1969 photo shows street work on the reconstruction of Third Street, where the cannon was embedded in the sidewalk on the corner of Third and Laurel streets. The cannon fronted the Fort Sumter Saloon, also known as Sumter House. The Department of Public Works’ excavation of the cannon created an uproar among Baton Rougeans, who demanded it be put back in place.Â
Still, the story doesn’t stop there. The cannon caused a citywide stir more than 50 years after the bar faded into history.
Krouse tells the story of how Baton Rougeans rallied to keep the cannon in its rightful place when the city began reconstructing the Third-Laurel intersection on Jan. 15, 1969.
“The Department of Public Works excavated the old cannon,” she wrote. “Department Director Ray Burgess immediately regretted this act, for he had to spend the entire next day ‘calming the wrath’ of persons, who demanded that the cannon be put right back.”
Baton Rouge Mayor-President Woody Dumas also was besieged by indignant callers.
A view of the corner of Third and Laurel streets. A parking lot, left, marks the spot where the Fort Sumter Saloon, also known as Sumter House, stood. The cannon that was entrenched nose-first into the sidewalk in front of the saloon is still there, marked by a historical marker.
“Not only were civic groups contacting him berating the cannon’s removal, but private concerns were also beleaguering him with offers to purchase it,” she wrote.
Finally, The Advocate polled readers about the cannon’s fate, resulting in an overwhelming vote to keep it in place.
Yet, for the most part, the old gun goes unnoticed these days with only the occasional passerby stopping to ask, “What the heck is that?”
