In 1901, two cannons were dedicated and placed on pedestals in downtown Mt. Clemens. They were dedicated to honor those who fought in the War of 1812 and the Civil War. The cannons stayed until 1942 when they were donated to a scrap drive for the World War II war effort. Since then, the empty pedestals have remained.

That is, until last August 27, 2005, when cannons were returned to the pedestals. This was largely due to the work of Don Green, vice-chairman of the Macomb County Historical Commission who brought the idea of replacing the cannons to the Mt. Clemens Rotary Club. In honor of the 100th anniversary of Rotary International, the Rotary Club generously picked up the approximately $17,000 tab to replace the cannons and donated them to the county. (The new cannons are not exact replicas of the originals.) One of the cannons is a War of 1812 6 pounder replica. The other is a Civil War Parrot 10 Pounder replica.

The War of 1812 cannon is mounted on the Alexander Macomb pedestal-the county namesake was a distinguished War of 1812 veteran. The cannon is made of cast iron, is 68 inches long, has a smooth bore, and weighs 1,100 pounds. It would fire a 3.6 inch diameter projectile weighing 6 pounds. It could be fired 1,500 yards in 6.5 seconds and was used by both Americans and British in the war.

The Civil War cannon was known as the Parrot-10 pounder. It is mounted on the Colonel John Stockton pedestal at the northeast corner of Cass and Main St. John Stockton was in the Eighth Michigan Calvary Regiment. The cannon is 78 inches long, is made of cast iron and forged reinforcement band heat, shrunk towards the breech, and weighs 900 pounds. A rifle cannon could shoot a 10 pound projectile 5,000 yards in 21 seconds and could land several shots within a 4 foot diameter circle at 1,000 yards. Because of this, and its ease of use, it became the cannon of choice for both sides in the Civil War and came in several sizes. When mounted on a wheeled carriage, a team of six horses and 10 to 12 men were needed to move, load, and fire this cannon. Under stress conditions, they could fire two or three rounds a minute.