Maine Museums Cleared of Cannonballs Amid Concerns for Safety
Castine, Maine Unexploded cannonballs from the War of 1812 were safely removed from the Castine Historical Society in Maine. Kate McMahon, the society's executive director, said that she believes someone donated the cannonballs decades ago and that the UXO sat in storage until recent concerns arose about their explosive threat.
According to McMahon, the news that Fort McHenry in Baltimore was evacuated recently after unexploded cannonballs were found during utility work, prompted museum staff to examine the cannonballs. The examination revealed that three were likely black powder cannonballs.
The Maine State Police bomb squad responded to remove the three large cannonballs, along with 16 smaller cannonballs which appeared inert. McMahon said that the smaller munitions were "unlikely to contain explosive powder," but the museum "wanted to ensure both the safety of our collections and facility, as well as the general public."
The bomb squad wasn't done there, they also removed two dozen cannonballs from the Wilson Museum in Castine on that same day. All the ordnance was slated for controlled detonation.








