My dad's one-day lark with a Civil War Cannon

My dad, Jack B. Shoemake, grew up in Sherman, TX. He was born in 1916. When he was 13 years old, living on a hill right next to what is now Highway 75, at 408 N. Ely Street (now called Sam Rayburn Drive), he had one of his bright ideas: Why not go down into the old part of Sherman, where some old guy was selling a Civil War cannon -- buy the cannon and then have someone haul the cannon home? His parents lived on a hill overlooking a brand new multi-storied building across a grass field where the Sherman Bearcats practiced football. It was several hundred yards from his parents' home -- a little white frame home that faced this municipal building.

Dad bought the cannon for $4.50 (a princely sum in those days), and had a really nice, elderly black man, who owned a team of mules, haul the cannon to the edge of the bluff, in front of his parents' home. Dad secured the cannon so it wouldn't move, and then he ran around collecting 'cannon fodder' -- pieces of heavy chain, rocks, railroad spikes, ball bearings -- everything he could find to load up the cannon. Then, before loading the cannon, he inserted the make-shift container of gunpowder and wadding deep into the cannon. Next, he loaded up the cannon with the metal and rocks. Having done that, he and his friend, 'Punk Sladen', who was helping him in this venture, fashioned a fuse and inserted it into the cannon.

Now, my dad and Punk Sladen became a little nervous. This was the moment of truth. They looked out across the landscape (their imaginary battlefield), and saw that there were no humans or animals out in front of them. There was only the municipal building, severl hundred yards to the east. They lit the fuse....and ran!

Moments later, there was a terrific explosion, as the cannon disgorged its load of rocks and metal. The explosion was so loud it almost deafened them -- although they were at least 50 feet away when the cannon went off! They ran to the edge of the bluff, and looked out across the 'battlefield'. They saw the cloud of dust, where, not more than 200 yards out, the shrapnel hit the ground and kicked up a lot of dirt and dust. They were still jumping up and down, congratulating each other when the police arrived and confiscated the cannon!

It seems that the explosion had blown out nearly all of the windows-- hundreds of them -- in the newly constructed municipal building, on the side that faced the cannon. The boys' early military career ended as suddenly as soon as it started! They both got hard whippings when their respective dads came home from work.

They stayed out of trouble for awhile -- until their next caper --- hoisting a cow up on top of Sherman High School and leaving it there over the weekend. They got in trouble for that too....some kids' path to learning is longer than others! (Now, Jeff, you know where you 'got it!') :) -- Dad