On July 4, 1854, the residents of the mining village of Lykens, Pennsylvania gathered to celebrate the nation’s independence.
As part of the festivities, a cannon firing salute was scheduled in the community at the heart of Dauphin County’s anthracite industry. It did not going according to plan.
From the Sunbury American newspaper:
“During the firing of the National salute at Lykenstown, Dauphin County, Pa, on the 4th, a man named Henry Martin was killed and another named John Ordnorf had his arm blown off.”
Explosions like this were unfortunately common in the mid-19th century.
A historical reminder to be safe with your own fireworks and explosives this Independence Day.
(Illustration: Accidental explosion of a cannon during a national salute firing at Fort Sumter, April 1861)
Read more about the Fourth of July holiday in the Coal Region
Port Carbon’s Soldiers Monument – Dedication on July 4, 1906
A Pennsylvania coal town expressed astonishment that it celebrated July 4th without violence in 1862
Letters from War – Celebrating Independence Day 1945 in occupied Germany
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