The Way I See It: ‘Long Tom’ silently guards Fort Boreman Park from ‘invaders’
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Fort Boreman Park in Parkersburg offers sweeping views of downtown Parkersburg, the Ohio River and the entire city of Belpre.
Pavilions, trails and overlooks at the park make it a popular spot for residents. Those visiting there may be unaware that they are in the presence of a legend. "Long Tom" has been making an impression in area parks since the 1890s.
According to an article published in The Parkersburg Sentinel in 1939, the giant cannon first arrived in town after the Andrew Mathers post of the Grand Army of the Republic obtained it from the federal government. When the Civil War era weapon first arrived in Parkersburg, it was placed in the downtown area before being dragged up to Fort Boreman by six teams of horses.
It stayed in the park for years. On holidays and when "distinguished men" would visit town the gun would be fired by Capt. Sidney Shaw and Capt. William Clark to honor the occasion.
Every time the gun was fired, the residents that lived on at the bottom of the hill would feel the concussion. Frequently it was so strong that it would break windows. The complaints would pour in with each loud boom.
Finally, it was sold for junk. It was hauled down the hill and dumped in an alley in 1920 to await recycling. A group from the American Legion got wind of the plan and went to the junk yard to save the gun. A giant crane had already raised it 100 feet in the air as it prepared to drop it in order to make many small pieces of iron out of one big one.
The men from the legion had arrived just in time to save it.
They donated it to the city, and it was placed in City Park where it was mounted on a concrete base.
Eventually Wood County wanted the cannon back from the city, so a deal was struck. The country would donate a little section of the downtown Bicentennial Park to the City in exchange for "Long Tom."
The cannon was given a make-over. Restored, repainted and mounted on a period-correct carriage, it was brought back to Fort Boreman in 2021, arriving this time on a flatbed trailer instead of behind teams of horses.
The giant cannon now sits in a place of honor in the grassy area at the end of the road, silently pointing toward Ohio in case any Buckeyes get any ideas about invading West Virginia. I would think twice, the last time it was fired more than a century ago, it shattered windows.
Art Smith is online manager of The Parkersburg News and Sentinel and The Marietta Times. He can be contacted at asmith@newsandsentinel.com