MUSCATINE, Iowa — A cannon that sat for years on the Muscatine County Courthouse lawn is gone, but not history.

The cannon, built in 1857 by Cyrus Alger Co. of Boston, will be back in place in a few months, in time for the courthouse’s centennial celebration in 2009.

Repairs to the cannon’s deteriorated wooden wheels prompted officials to place it into storage in early 2006.

Building official Eric Furnas told the Muscatine County Board of Supervisors Monday that the county has received the cannon back from an Amish metal worker in Bloomfield.

“It looks just beautiful,” Furnas said.

He said the cannon will be put back on display in spring.

Jumpstart funds

Furnas, who is also the county’s zoning administrator, said the county also began drawing funding from the Jumpstart Iowa Recovery Initiative to help homeowners affected by this summer’s floods.

“We’re moving forward. We’re getting money out to some people really pretty quickly,” he said.

Furnas said five of the approximately 20 recipients in Muscatine County have received funding to repair or rebuild their homes.

Sufficient funds are available for the other 15 applicants, he said.

Reporter contact information

Jennifer Meyer: 563-262-0525

jennifer.meyer@muscatinejournal.com