Herb Deveau, a lieutenant colonel who has been with the Bristol Train of Artillery militia for 30 years, shows off a Revolutionary War cannon housed in the basement of the meeting hall on State Street.

The Providence Journal / Frieda Squires

BRISTOL It’s easy to miss the Bristol Train of Artillery’s meeting hall opposite the Town Common. Set back from State Street, the narrow clapboard building is hemmed in by Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church on one side and the church’s parochial school on the other.

But inside the hall is a rich collection of military memorabilia that, says Herb Deveau, the Train of Artillery’s second-in-command, should not be missed. There are documents and artifacts, some that go back to the 18th century, and, of course, muskets, cannons and other weapons. Then there’s the ghost Deveau swears is haunting the building. The specter has been named “Corporal Bones.”

“We have so much in here to offer,” Deveau says while he leads two visitors around the building one recent morning. “A lot of people, even in Bristol, don’t know about this place.”

But for his Tweety Bird suspenders, Deveau, 65, could pass for a Colonial-era militiaman, with a thick beard down to his chest and a mustache that dramatically curls into points. He’s been a member of the Train of Artillery for 30 years, rising from private to lieutenant colonel, though he concedes that ranks don’t mean much in the militia these days.

Deveau is proud of the long history of the Train of Artillery. He boasts that it’s the oldest, continuous militia in Rhode Island, formed in February 1776 to protect the town from attacks by the British during the Revolutionary War.

Deveau says the Train of Artillery is also the lone militia in the state that still occupies its original headquarters. The meeting hall was built in 1842. In 1869, the one-and-a-half-story building was raised up a floor and significantly remodeled. It’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

As he steps into the main meeting room on the second floor, Deveau points out a uniform worn by Civil War Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside that hangs in a display case on one wall. The militia’s original flag, more than two centuries old, is in another case, tattered and threadbare.

The room is abuzz with activity. Deveau is helping to oversee a top-to-bottom restoration of the hall, a project started by Raymond Murray when he took command of the Train of Artillery six years ago.

So far, workers have replaced the roof, overhauled the plumbing and electrical systems, crafted new front doors, stripped and repainted the interior, and put new clapboard on the front of the building.

Much of the labor is being donated, by local Eagle Scouts, students at Mt. Hope High School and members of Carpenters Local 94. This week, seven apprentice carpenters from the Warwick-based union are installing new windows throughout the hall. They’re removing vinyl windows that were put in years ago and replacing them with more historical wooden windows.

Charles Johnson, an instructor at the New England Carpenters Training Center, in Millbury, Mass., is directing the work.

“It’s good for them because we’re donating our time,” Johnson says of the militia. “And it’s good training for our carpenters to do a historic restoration.”

For all the repairs that have been done, the nonprofit Train of Artillery has gotten very little outside funding. The Champlin Foundations gave an initial $15,000 grant. The militia stretched that money out to not only do the roof work but also the plumbing and electrical repairs. They supplemented the grant with money raised from clam boils and other events.

“Champlin was so impressed they gave us a second grant,” Deveau says.

That one, awarded in 2007, was for $46,000, and it is covering the cost of materials for the current round of work.

Deveau continues the tour, walking downstairs to the first floor, where the cannons are stored. He calls them “my pride and joy.”

There are two cannons from the Revolutionary War that still have all their original parts except for some wood trim that had to be replaced after wearing out. There are two antitank cannons from World War I. And there are three miniature cannons, one no thicker than the handle of a baseball bat. Deveau calls that one his “back-pocket cannon.” Deveau is known to fire another slightly bigger one during the Bristol Fourth of July parade.

It’s very small, a visitor remarks.

“Oh yeah, but it’s noisy,” Deveau says with a mischievous grin.

Members of the Train of Artillery have served in every major conflict involving the United States stretching back to the War of Independence, including the War of 1812, the Civil War, World War I, World War II, the Vietnam War and the current war in Iraq.

Now, however, the militia mainly serves in parades and other special events throughout the state. Membership is holding steady at about 30 and now includes women and people in their 20s. The organization appeals to people interested in history or perhaps those who simply like to dress up and fire a gun.

Before going back to work, Deveau confides that he does indeed believe in Corporal Bones. He says the ghost can be heard wandering around the unfinished third floor of the meeting hall from time to time.

“I guess he’s a soldier who never made it home,” Deveau says.

The Bristol Train of Artillery’s meeting hall is open by appointment only. If you’re interested in a visit, call 253-2928.

akuffner@projo.com