[Poll] Should a Historical Gun Be Placed in Veteran's Memorial Park?

While most seem to agree about the idea of a , some disagree on what should be put in it.

An Oct. 25 memo from the City’s environmental officer includes the placement of a historical gun—recovered from the U.S.S. Maine, a ship whose sinking in 1898 led to the Spanish-American War—in the park, however Pasquale says the City has not made any decisions as to whether the gun will be put in Veteran’s Memorial Park. The City is hoping to recieve a grant to build the park, which will include momuments for every U.S. conflict and an educational element. Click for a story on the proposed park. 

“We don’t have a final design or anything like that, but there are folks who believe that the gun should go into a Veteran’s Memorial Park, eventually when one is planned and built, and there are others who believe it’s not appropriate for the park,” said Pasquale.

The 10-foot-long rapid-fire gun, that once fired six-pound shells, was donated by the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and was dedicated to the City on Oct. 28, 1915, to commemorate the 1776 Battle of White Plains. The City says the gun was removed from within the last decade because it was being vandalized. Since then, the gun has been sitting in a storage shed at City’s recycling facility.

“No decision has been made in regards to the gun yet,” said Pasquale. “Right now, it will stay in the shed where it’s safe and away from the elements. At this point we’re early on in the planning stages.”

Anthony Pilla, who lives in the Battle Hill neighborhood of White Plains, has been pushing to get the gun out of the storage shed and back in Battle-Whitney Park.

“It deserves the respect of being put in a prominent place for public exposition,” said Pilla. “I think it should be in a place of honor in Battle Hill. It was dedicated to White Plains and Battle Hill.”

Pilla says he thinks the cannon wasn’t removed because of vandalism, but because the gun didn’t pertain to the American Revolution and wasn’t continuous with the history of the park. He argues that police could have taken care of the vandalism, and that the gun’s removal was not necessary.

Pilla says that if the gun is moved to Veteran’s Memorial Park, a cannon or gun from the American Revolution should be placed in Battle-Whitney Park to commemorate the Battle of White Plains.

“There is currently no cannon on Battle Hill to mark the Battle of White Plains. I think that is very sad indeed,” said Pilla—who in a letter to White Plains Patch and local newspapers, called the removal of the gun “a total disrespect to the memory of the sailors that served aboard the U.S.S. Maine, as well as the Daughters of the American Revolution who had it dedicated to the people of White Plains.”

Pilla, who is excited to see plans for Veteran’s Memorial Park move along, says it should be ultimately left up to the veterans community to decide whether or not the gun is placed in Veteran’s Memorial Park.

“It’s [Veteran’s Memorial Park] not a tribute to wars,” said McGrath. “It’s a tribute to those involved in the conflicts and history, so there’s not going to be guns all over the place, but I think that [the USS Maine gun] could be an appropriate item for the Spanish American war location [of the park].”

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