The Brookline Monument has been possibly Brookline's most identifiable landmark for over 70 years. No one is sure exactly when the monument was dedicated in Brookline's "Triangle Park", at the corner of the Boulevard, Queensboro and Chelton Avenues, but everyone who is anyone in this community knows "The Cannon."

Thanks to a Brookline Journal article from July of 1985 we have been able to shed a little light on the mystery that surrounds our memorial to the brave servicemen of the 20th century. What was most surprising is that our present Cannon is a replacement. The original World War I artillery piece was donated by the American Legion to the J&L Mill in Hazelwood to be melted down during a scrap metal drive for World War II.

It happened on October 13, 1942, when John Renner, a roller at the J&L 16-inch roller, and George Winslow, superintendent of the mill's Hazelwood polishing plant and senior vice-commander of the Brookline Legion Post 540, held a small ceremony before the 4.7 inch cannon was again carted off to war, this time against the empire of Japan. The cannon was inscribed "To Japan via U.S. armed forces."

The cannon that we see today was put in place sometime after the end of World War II and Triangle Park re-dedicated. The pictures here show the original cannon during its last moments in Brookline. The photo above is quite interesting as it shows not only our cannon, but in the background is an old-fashioned Pittsburgh Railways yellow box-shaped streetcar and a vacant lot where St. Mark Church now stands. In addition, there is a yellow brick home in the spot now occupied by Nino's Barber Shop. The photo below shows the millworkers hauling Brookline's inscribed cannon off to fight another war.

One last piece of "Cannon" lore. In the early 1990's, after the Gulf War, "Triangle Park" was again the scene of a dedication, this time during the installation of the new bronze plaque commemorating our local soldiers. At that time, the original time capsule was unearthed, and a new capsule prepared with current neighborhood artifacts. The new time capsule was never buried. Somehow it was misplaced and has been A.W.O.L. ever since.