Live Ordnance Stored for Years in Virginia Museum

Petersburg, Virginia Police were called to the Siege Museum in Petersburg when a bomb technician determined that three Civil War-era cannonballs being stored in the museum basement were likely live. Though the ordnance was unfuzed, an x-ray revealed that explosives remain in the devices.

An EOD team was called in to remove the items from the building. The Deputy Fire Marshal and police secured the area overnight until the team could arrive. The cannonballs have reportedly been in the sub-basement in storage since the late 1970s.

New concerns arose following an inspection to reopen the museum which has been closed since November 2015 due to roof damage. An earlier inspection had issued cause for concern over the status of the items but no action was taken at that time.