Kendall receives grant, gets cannon back

Kendall's historic Civil War cannon has made its way back to its former location in Greenwood Cemetery.

Town Supervisor John Becker said the town received a $15,000 grant from Assemblyman Charles Nesbitt's office to help offset the cost of the retrieval of the cannon.

"We received the grant as a way to recover the cannon and to make some site improvements for it," Becker said. "We've also implemented some security measures to keep the cannon safe."

Town residents petitioned Kendall officials to return the cannon after it had been sold to an out-of-state museum. The board's decision to sell the cannon and replace it with a replica was to prevent the historic piece from being stolen, town officials said. Residents, both veterans and non veterans, were vocal on their desire to see the cannon returned to its rightful place in the cemetery.

Officials hadn't anticipated the outcry the removal of the 1862 cast iron cannon would cause and began the process to have it returned.

Now that the cannon is back, town officials are in the process of selecting residents to serve on a committee for its rededication. Once the committee has been assembled a ceremony will take place, Becker said.