Program

Legends & Lore®

Subject

Event, Folklore

Location

11 Park Ln, Wilmington, NY 12997, USA

Lat/Long

44.387165, -73.814708

Grant Recipient

Wilmington Historical Society

In the early morning hours of July 4, 1850, a group of men stole a cannon from the Adirondack Mountain community of Wilmington, New York. Under the cover of darkness, this mischievous gang hauled the small cannon back to their home turf, the neighboring village of Black Brook. The story of the heist soon became more than a passing misdeed, eventually growing into legend.

As the story goes, the townspeople of Wilmington knew something troubling was afoot when they couldn’t find the cannon that morning of Independence Day. Part of their Fourth of July celebration included plans to fire the cannon. The search was on, and soon they located wagon tracks, or mule tracks in some descriptions, leading to the village of Black Brook. A group of Wilmington boys and men set out for the neighboring community. They managed to retrieve the cannon in time to use during their festivities.

This lighthearted community “feud” carried on in stories over generations, even being conflated with a second cannon from the Civil War era. The publication, Chronicles of Wilmington, also recounts the tale of the stolen cannon and spirited rivalry between communities.