One of the most unusual monuments I have ever noticed can be found in Old Town Alexandria. Inconspicuous and located in an obscure spot, this iron and bronze fountain has aged to a beautiful coppery green since it was erected by the DAR's Mount Vernon Chapter on April 1st, 1912. Dedicated in memory of colonial and revolutionary events that happened locally, it is not immediately apparent that the monument incorporated an inverted cannon.
Sources online state that this peculiar find was discovered with a solid shot still inside it when excavated during riverfront improvements around 1908. Likely dating back to the French & Indian War, rather than the American Revolution, it was converted for use as a drinking fountain for horses placed at the intersection of Royal and Cameron streets. However, city residents had multiple complaints about it wasting thousands of gallons of water along with youths who loitered around it and others who used it to wash their laundry. Several automobile accidents in the years that followed necessitated repair and when restored, the cannon was relocated to its present location on North Royal Street near Gadsby's Tavern.
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