Early July 4th Tradition Connected to Anaheim High Family

Long before Disneyland entertained nighttime crowds with fireworks shows against the backdrop of Sleeping Beauty Castle, one Anaheim citizen marked Independence Day with a firecracker of a different sort.

As early as 1897, Fourth of July in Anaheim was commemorated with the explosion of cannon fire courtesy of Captain Alexander Nicol Henry, a Scottish-born hero of the Crimean War. Captain Henry was father and grandfather of several Anaheim High School graduates who played prominent roles in the Anaheim Community.

Born in Edinburg, Scotland in 1839, Alexander Henry married Catharine Mason in Leith, Scotland, on November 20, 1862. They immigrated to America in 1863 and moved from San Francisco to Anaheim in 1867.

The couple bought 220 acres of land near present day Lincoln and Brookhurst avenues and improved the land by planting a vineyard. After the 1886 vine disease wiped out the grapes, Henry replanted his “Caledonia Grove” with citrus and began making orange brandy. They raised three children in Anaheim: Innes, John M., and Archibald. A fourth son died in infancy.

Every Independence Day, Captain Henry pulled his cannon from his front lawn onto the street, while wearing his war medals and kilt, to shoot off several rounds to let the townspeople know of his patriotism.

A July 8, 1897, Anaheim Gazette article states, “Alex Henry’s cannon awakened the echoes for miles around. No Fourth of July celebration could be complete without Alex’s cannon.”

In 1905, he built a two-story, wood-frame house, described as a novelty in Roman and Egyptian design, that featured a formal front gate and gardens and a cupola surrounded by a widow’s walk, perhaps providing views of the distant Pacific Ocean.

By this time, Henry had sold off all but 10 acres of his property. The scaled back ranch and home, which was surrounded by an orange grove, was sold in 1909 for $25,000, which was called a “big price” by the local paper. At the time of the sale, the Henry’s were in their 70s and entering retirement to enjoy their grandchildren.

One of their grandchildren was John Mason Henry, an AUHS Class of 1930 graduate, who was born in Anaheim on June 18, 1913, and passed away Tuesday, October 25, 2011.

A bright lad, Mason, as he was called, spoke German and French, excelled in school, was a popular student and a talented actor and musician.

Like many Anaheim High graduates, he returned to his alma mater to teach and later founded the school’s Counseling Department. He was a teacher and counselor at Anaheim High School for 42 years, leaving between 1942 and 1946 to serve in the U.S. Navy during WWII.

Other Henry grandchildren were the four sons of Archibald. They all became pharmacists and practiced together as the owners of the Henry Drug Store on Lemon and Center.

Alex and Catharine enjoyed their children and grandchildren, many spending their lives in the City of Anaheim, until they both passed away in 1929. They are buried at the Anaheim Cemetery, as are other members of this Founding Anaheim Family.