Icicle Gun

Military hardware set up as a memorial by local veterans groups is pretty common.  But always worth a look.

An informative plaque identifies it as a turn of the last century 5 inch coastal defense gun.

The service record of these guns was limited.  They were later developments of ordnance from the 1880's.  In the Great War a number of these were dismounted and issued to artillery regiments made up of Coast Guard personnel.  But the war was over before they could be deployed overseas.  A few of these were present when the Japanese invaded the Philippines.  They did the best they could.

A close look at the muzzle shows something odd.  At first I thought it was a bundle of sticks or perhaps a dried up batch of flowers.  Back in my much younger days it was sort of a thing to put flowers into the muzzles of guns.  Hey, 60's.  But no...

The electrical plug gives it away.  These are outdoor lights of the "icicle" sort that people use in winter holiday displays.  Or to simulate a silent cannon shot aimed in the general direction of the next town over.