HISTORIC REFLECTION … The coastal cannon on the northwest corner of the Williams County Courthouse lawn in Bryan was formally dedicated. In 1931, Congressman Frank C. Kniffin procured a large coastal defense gun with a five-inch bore. The cannon was 19 feet, four inches long and weighed 7,200 pounds. It was mounted on a concrete base on the northwest corner of the courtyard and formally dedicated on October 19, 1931. During World War II, salvage drives for scrap metals were held to support the war effort. On October 30, 1942, the American Legion, city and county officials, and the War Production Board held a brief ceremony honoring removal of the cannon. The World War I cannon was removed by the George Isaac Company and forwarded to aid the war effort. This circa 1935-36 vintage image of the former courthouse cannon is from the Williams County Public Library Huffman Photographic Archives.
