The 9-Inch Dahlgrens of the American Swedish Historical Museum

Aug 12

A 9-Inch Dahlgren cannon displayed in front of the American Swedish Historical Museum in Philadelphia — 9-Inch Dahlgren Number 481 manufactured my Cyrus Alger in 1863 is displayed outside the American Swedish Historical Museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The American Swedish Historical Museum in FDR Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania displays two 9-Inch Dahlgren cannons outside of the museum. Since I arrived just after the museum had closed, I had to photograph the cannons from outside the gate, but it was very apparent that both cannons are well preserved. I believe that the cannons are intended to demonstrate the contributions of Rear Admiral John Dahlgren (the son of a Swedish immigrant) and John Ericsson (the Swedish engineer who designed USS Monitor among many other things). Both of the Dahlgrens seem to be mounted on original iron Marsilly broadside carriages.

According to the registry in the appendix to The Big Guns, the two Dahlgrens are:

To the left of the gate: Number 481 manufactured by Cyrus Alger in 1863. It weighs 9,240 pounds, and it is recorded as having served aboard USS Osceola.
To the right of the gate: Number 1133 manufactured by Fort Pitt in 1864. It weighs 9,225 pounds, and it is recorded as having served aboard USS Ticonderoga.

While I do not know this to be true, I suspect that these two Dahlgrens were aboard USS Richmond in the 1880s and 1890s. Her armament seems to have been taken off at Philadelphia. Two nearby cannons with definite connections to Richmond, a 9-Inch in New Hope and and 8-Inch MLR in Lambertville, are nearby.