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Cannon from U.S.S. Marion, St. Joseph, MI, circa 1907

Subjects
Civil WarMonuments & MemorialsPublic Parks & Commons
Card type
Linen
Date
c. 1907 (Golden Age)
Front of Cannon from U.S.S. Marion, St. Joseph, MI, circa 1907, St Joseph, MI, USA, c. 1907 linen postcard
Front
Back of Cannon from U.S.S. Marion, St. Joseph, MI, circa 1907, St Joseph, MI, USA, c. 1907 linen postcard
Back

About this postcard

A naval cannon from the U.S.S. Marion stands on a stone base in Lake Front Park, flanked by pyramids of stacked cannonballs, with shade trees, benches, and frame houses behind. The gun served in the War of the Rebellion aboard the U.S. Ship Marion and was received from the Brooklyn Navy Yard in 1897 as a government gift to the Grand Army of the Republic post in St. Joseph. Memorial guns like this were common at G.A.R. posts and in small-town parks in the decades after the Civil War. Mildred, writing while on vacation, had just passed the gun and thought it a good card for a collection; she also planned to see the "Long-haired Israelites," likely the House of David colony in nearby Benton Harbor.

Postcard Details

Message · English, in pen

Am spending my vacation in this town but it isn't much of a place. We just passed this gun and I thought this card would be a good one for your collection. I was glad to receive a card from you yesterday. We are going over to see the Long-haired Israelites in a short time. Wish you were going too. Mildred P.D.

PublisherThe Hugh C. Leighton Co.
Saint Joseph, Mich. Cannon, Lake Front Park. This gun did service in the War of the Rebellion on board the U.S. Ship "Marion". Received from the Brooklyn Navy Yard in 1897 as a gift from the Government to the Grand Army of the Republic of Saint Joseph, Michigan.
PostmarkedBenton Harbor, MI
Stamp
Addressed to
Shirley Hohonnard

Bedford, MI

Postcard record

PostmarkedBenton Harbor, MI
PublisherThe Hugh C. Leighton Co.
ConditionGood
Place addressedShirley Hohonnard, Bedford, MI
Place depictedLake Front Park, St Joseph, MI
PublisherThe Hugh C. Leighton Co., Portland, ME
Stamp1c Benjamin Franklin, green, perforated on all sides
NotesWhite border; caption printed in the lower margin; slight edge and corner wear. Postmark: BENTON HARBOR JUL 17 MICH. Divided-back "POST CARD" with "MESSAGE MAY BE WRITTEN ON THIS SIDE"; Hugh C. Leighton Co. imprint (Portland, Me., U.S.A.) with "MADE IN GERMANY" and triangular Quality trademark; 1¢ green Franklin stamp; purple-ink message; light edge and corner wear.

Cite this card

Cannon from U.S.S. Marion, St. Joseph, MI, circa 1907, postcard, c. 1907. PostalPast Collection. https://postalpast.com/postcard/cannon-from-u-s-s-marion-st-joseph-mi-circa-1907. Accessed November 2, 2026.