JEFFERSON, Md. — A Civil War-era cannonball was discovered in Frederick County on Monday.
The State Fire Marshal's office received a call from a Jefferson resident who received the cannonball from a family member, who discovered it near the Monocacy Battlefield.
Bomb technicians conducted diagnostics which determined the cannonball was still live, with an intact fusing mechanism.
The cannonball was able to be safely removed and disposed of at the Beaver Creek Quarry in Hagerstown.
Officials say Civil War devices like this are not uncommon in Maryland. They reportedly pose the same threat as the day they were originally manufactured.
“If you should uncover or are unsure if an unidentified object may be military ordnance, be safe rather than sorry. Stay away and call 911,” stated State Fire Marshal Brian S. Geraci “Marylanders need to be mindful that military ordnance, even vintage artifacts from previous conflicts, have the potential to explode.”
