Metal Canisters Found at Fort Totten Identified as WWI Chemical Weapons

Fort Totten Park, Washington, D.C. A National Park Service employee found two metal canisters in a mound of soil at Fort Totten Park, sparking a large emergency response and multiple road closures in the area. After several days of investigations, the items have been identified as WWI-era chemical weapons, similar to those found in the Spring Valley neighborhood several decades ago.

According to USACE spokesperson Cynthia Mitchell it is unclear whether or not the canisters were empty. They are currently being analyzed at Marine Corps Base Quantico. In a written statement she said, "We expect preliminary, unofficial results on contents this week, and final confirmation next week."

This is not the first time a WWI-era weapon was discovered in Fort Totten. In 2020, the National Park Service discovered another WWI-era metal canister on the ground in a different area of the park. The Park Service said the Defense Department determined that munition to be an "unfused and unused, empty canister" which had been modified for use as a chemical weapon.

Mitchell said the recently canisters discovered were very similar to chemical weapons found during the infamous Spring Valley cleanup at the former American University Experiment Station that was used by the U.S. government for research and testing of chemical agents, equipment and munitions.

She went on to explain that one of the munitions is similar to the Livens projectors encountered during the Spring Valley cleanup, but the measurements are different. A Livens Projector was a simple mortar-like weapon that could throw large drums filled with toxic or flammable chemicals and were commonly used during WWI.

The second munition was identified as 75-mm ordnance with a hex plug burster adapter, very typical to past finds at Spring Valley, according to Mitchell.