The two M1902 Field Guns that have adorned the Harry T. Hanson Veterans Memorial Park area of Patchogue for nearly a century returned to their positions on Friday.
And they’re looking better than ever, with new wheels, repaired metal and fresh layers of historically appropriate green paint.
(The WWI training guns were painted gray years ago.)
“They did a good job,” said John Matuszak of Patchogue, a past commander at the American Legion Patchogue 269. “They were falling apart.”
The repairs were made in Maryland and cost $27,000 for both guns, which according to Revolvy.com were “the U.S. Army’s first nickel steel, quick-firing field gun with a recoil mechanism.”
There are less than 40 that lasted until today, the site shows.
“And most of them are in museums,” Matuszak said.
The guns are owned by the village. The village funded the project and American Legion members are raising money to defray the costs — hopefully by half — with additional grant money coming through county Legislator Rob Calarco’s office.
“We’re still trying to raise money,” Matuszak said.
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Patchogue Mayor Paul Pontieri said the cannons outside the Legion, which is next to Village Hall, were last worked on nearly 30 years ago.
Earlier this year, the mayor said he learned from the Legion commander that 2019 is going to mark the organization’s 100th year.
“So we made a decision to restore the cannons in time for that,” Pontieri said. “And our American Legion goes back to 1919, so they’ll be 100 years old.”
“They cleaned them up beautifully,” Pontieri said of the work.
But the wheels couldn’t be salvaged, said Legion vice commander Jose Bou of Bellport.
“They were in bad shape.” Bou said. “The paint was keeping them together.”
The newly restored guns, which are also now free of lead paint, arrived at the crack of dawn Friday on a flatbed truck. Village municipal workers then came and unloaded them.
The whole scene was quite different from the first time around.
“The village got a letter from the War Department … asking if they wanted the guns,” Matuszak explained. “The village said they would take them, and in 1921 they got a call — or however they did it, telegraphs — I think on a Sunday, that the cannons were arriving and to have a check ready for $9.70 and unload them off the train.
“And they rolled them from the train station over to here.”
Top: John Matuszak with the restored guns on Friday. (Michael White)
