Old Cannon Unearthed in Miami Beach

[Bigcypresshunter]

Old cannon unearthed in Miami Beach
By ERIKA BERAS
[email protected]
Construction workers digging on the Venetian Causeway made an unusual discovery Tuesday: a rusted iron cannon that experts believe dates to a late 18th Century shipwreck.

''Usually, we find items like this in the bay or underwater,'' said Jorge Zamanillo, a Historic Museum of South Florida curator.

Because much of Miami Beach was once a mangrove barrier island, storm-tossed ships occasionally foundered there, the remains buried when dredges built up the land for development.


The cannon was filled with a substance that may be gunpowder. It likely fired 12-pound cannon balls. Experts believe it came from a wrecked English or Spanish ship.

Terry Helmers, whose hobby is maritime history, said the cannon's size indicates it came from a large ship.




http://www.miamiherald.com/416/story/181124.html

 

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[bucketofguts]

might be worth a few days of futher study imho! thanks for taking the time. ben

 

[rgecy]

Hey Chagy,

I knew there was a Galleon right out your window! Where is this in relation to you?

Maybe we need to do some metal detecting near this area!

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Would be a good time during the construction.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Re: Video Update- Old Cannon Unearthed in Miami Beach

Here is a video of the amazing discovery of ten foot cannon under sidewalk.

http://cbs4.com/topstories/local_story_205144057.html

Time to do a little MDing.

 

[bucketofguts]

what a place to dig up a cannon! ya think its just one lone cannon all by its lonesome. i would yellow tape off so much high $ real estate and start a big dig. a couple of class 5 storms might find a couple more. thanks bigcyp! u the man! ben

 

[diggummup]

They reburied it today because it already started showing signs of deterioration.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Amazing discovery, for sure!

Sounded from the video that area is built up...nice little mystery!

Yes, all built up. I didnt get a chance to go there today but it was dug up 4 feet beneath the pavement of the former Lido Spa Hotel, built in the 1950's, I believe.

Do we have any cannon experts that can identify this cannon from the video?

 

[jeff k]

They reported on the local news tonight that a former home owner had a cannon in his yard facing toward the bay, and then they built a restaurant on the site and the cannon was on display there. This was all before they built the hotel. It looks like they just buried the cannon rather than hauling it away when they built the hotel.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

They reported on the local news tonight that a former home owner had a cannon in his yard facing toward the bay, and then they built a restaurant on the site and the cannon was on display there. This was all before they built the hotel. It looks like they just buried the cannon rather than hauling it away when they built the hotel.

What? No missing galleon? So much for the mystery.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Here is the story. Cannon may have been hotel decor or sat behind scary abandoned house in the 40's.

http://www.miamiherald.com/460/story/182563.html

''There was this old abandoned house like you'd see in scary movies,'' said Segal, 69, who remembers the cannon dating back to the late 1940s.

``It had overgrown grass. It was like plodding through somewhere no one had ever walked. We came across this cannon at the waterfront. We just looked at it and thought we ought to get out of there.''

''It was part of the lore of there being a Spanish fort out there,'' Smith said. ``It disappeared when they built the Di Lido.''

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

The search continues...

LONG FORGOTTEN

Some continued their search Wednesday, and were empty-handed until searching eBay, where for $12 you can buy a 1958 postcard showing the Monterrey Resort Motel and Yacht Club, a single-story structure with a peaked roof.

One of the reasons Tuesday's theories seemed believable is because the cannon was discovered on Belle Isle. Part of Miami Beach's mainland today, it was an island years ago, said local historian Paul George. All the other islands in the bay were man-made in the 1920s, well past the time any Spanish armada would dare cross the ocean.

In fact, the first bridge connected to Miami's mainland from the beach was built in 1913, and it ran from behind where The Miami Herald is now, all the way to Belle Isle.

''Belle Isle was the only island there 200 years ago,'' George said.