Mexia Blackcats 1959: October 2008

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Old Val Verde is Back Home

Old Val Verde is back home | www.groesbeckjournal.com | Groesbeck Journal: "The Civil War cannon was returned to the Confederate Reunion Grounds State Historic Site on Thursday after spending more than a year at Texas A&M undergoing restoration.

A formal 'welcome home' ceremony and open house will be from 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 26 at the park. Park manager Dixie Hoover said the ceremony will include Civil War-era music performed by musicians on hammered and mountain dulcimers.

The official unveiling of the cannon will be at 1:30 p.m. and will include a ribbon-cutting by the Mexia Chamber of Commerce, Friends of the Confederate Reunion Grounds, the Texas Historical Commission and Limestone County officials.

The firing of the cannons will follow.

Old Val Verde was originally part of a set of Union cannons that belonged to the Chicago Mercantile Battery of the Union Army. The cannons were captured during battle by members of the 12th Texas Artillery, Val Verde Battery. The cannons were eventually separated: Old Val Verde ended up at the Reunion Grounds, its sister now rests at the Freestone County Courthouse, Hoover said."

About the photo: Employees of the Confederate Reunion Grounds State Historic Site and Old Fort Parker State Park, work to unload Old Val Verde, a Civil War-era cannon. The weapon returned to the Confederate Reunion Grounds on Thursday after spending more than a year in restoration at Texas A&M. (Journal photo/David Stone)