Old Jeremiah
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Old Jeremiah is the name of an antique British naval gun that rests in Branion Plaza, at the heart of the University of Guelph campus. Rumoured to have seen battle during the War of 1812, Old Jeremiah was last fired in April of 1913. After World War I, the gun's barrel was plugged and it was brought to campus by students as a sign of remembrance for those lost in battle. It is often referred to simply and affectionately as The Cannon. During the 1970s, Old Jeremiah was briefly relocated to Johnston Green and renamed The Big Johnston.
Due to its location, the cannon is highly visible and accessible. It lies along Winegard Walk, the main path through campus, and has become one of the university's landmarks.
Sometime during the 1950s, it became a campus tradition for students to paint messages, often birthday congratulations or pub announcements, on the cannon. An unofficial cannon-painting etiquette has since developed, dictating that the cannon must be painted between nightfall and daybreak. It is highly frowned upon to paint the cannon during the day. Thus, a group of students having painted the cannon will often stay up until morning to 'guard' it, lest their message be painted over by another group.
One of the University of Guelph's undergraduate student publications has been named in honour of Old Jeremiah, since the website parallels the use of the cannon as a campus-wide message board.
