Cannon with “UNION” cast into it

Trying to determine why this cannon has “UNION” cast into it. Piece is 26” long, bore about 2.5”. It seems to be a salute gun (makes noise only.) Please give me some ideas on the reason “UNION” is on this cannon. It reportedly came from a closed museum in Pittsburgh PA ca. 1990. I’ve been looking into various possibilities on and off for a week but I haven’t gotten anywhere.

https://wp.me/aMlEl-u1

https://wp.me/aMlEl-u2

https://wp.me/aMlEl-u3

https://wp.me/aMlEl-u4

 

Question...
Why don’t you post the photos directly here???

 

Used to, always, till my storagesite made the urls so long, when u try to copy them only front end gets copied

Like, here’s copy of first pic url

https://springfieldarsenal.wordpress.com/0640c07f-800d-4a89-9270-5411543c6070/

I’ll keep looking for a solution.

 

If I have to “adopt” one of the many 19th C. Iron foundries that used the name “Union” it’d be this one, which traded under that name 1851-1907. When I get time I’ll contact the town of Catasauqua, in the Lehigh Valley near Allentown, and find their local expert on that foundry. There are several little clues that make this foundry a bit more likely as a source of this cannon, than some of the other “Union” foundries. One is the fact that the cannon was de-accessed from storage at a National Park Service Site in eastern PA, which listed the source on the transfer papers as “gift.”

http://www.history.catasauqua.org/h...lking-tours/union-foundry-and-machine-company

 

Yipes!

 

I even thought of Union Hardware from Torrington, CT. I've had old shotguns with the Union name on them. I wonder if they ever went as far as selling salute cannons???

 

It's got the Union label.