It is Model 1912 4.7 inch howitzer manufactured around World War I. It is in the front garden of a home in the Wicker Park neighborhood in northwest Chicago.
The residence is one of the oldest surviving structures in Wicker Park. Built in Queen Anne style for C. Hermann Plautz—founder of the Chicago Drug & Chemical Company—after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, the home was constructed with ornamental pressed metal for decorative trim and cornice rather than wooden trim to meet strict post-fire safety codes
:> In the late 1920s, the residence was converted into the charter headquarters for the American Legion Pulaski Post 86. In 1934, Naval Station Great Lakes placed the field gun in the front lawn to mark the post's charter and honor local World War I veterans.
After the post closed in 1972, the mansion was purchased in 1977 for $70,000.and painstakingly restored back into a private home. The owners opted to keep and maintain the howitzer in the front garden, preserving a unique piece of neighborhood history.
The woman in the photo is one of the owners of the house and has lived there for 48 years. She said the house ws scheduled for demolition when they bought it. She is a treasure trove of information and was happy to share stories about the houses on ''Beer Baron Row'"
Model 1912 4.7 inch howitzer
At the time the USA entered World War I about 600 of these artillery pieces were on hand and only 270 were shipped to Europe. Americans used primarily French equivalents of 4.7 inch howitzers overseas. This howitzer, used for training, has an interrupted screw breech block and the loaded projectile weighs 73.8 pounds. It is loaded with 3.36 pounds of TNT or a shrapnel shell containing 711 half inch steel balls. The recoil is 70 inches. The gun and mechanism weigh 2,600 pounds. It is mounted on a 1918 Studebaker caisson.
The Sommers/Plautz house was built in 1878 as a single family home and turned into an American Legion Hall in the 1920’s. The howitzer, which belongs to Great Lakes Naval Station, was placed here in May 1934 when Pulaski Post 86 received its charter. Except for the 800 sq. ft. meeting hall, the house retains its original interior restored by the current owners who have lived here since 1977.
More Wicker Park photos soon.....
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