Randy Watts
Randy Watts was born in Carlisle and has resided here most of his life. He graduated from Carlisle High School and Shippensburg State College. He was the Fire Service Coordinator for Cumberland County, and for years he worked in the industrial insurance industry.
Randy was a certified instructor for the Pennsylvania State Fire Academy and has taught college level fire protection courses at the Harrisburg Area Community College. He has served as a volunteer firefighter in several communities, including Carlisle and Harrisburg.
He has published over four dozen books and booklet on local history covering a wide range of topics, including railroads, manufacturing and Carlisle history.
The Legend of William Denning and His Cannon
The Legend of William Denning and His Cannon
Local historian Randy Watts pursues the story around and at the core of Colonel William Denning, reputed cannon-forger at Doubling Gap in the Cumberland Valley. Watts’s expertise in county’s iron industry turns the examination into a pursuit of the truth and an entertaining account of how and why local legends develop.