Think I found a Parrott Shell in Warrenton VA

[acm3]

Update - "TheCannonballGuy" was able to clean it out this weekend. Had a family member drop it off to him so I have not seen it yet. I am super excited to get it back when I see my family member again. I heard there was a large piece of paper that came out during the cleaning that might show the time fuse tics. (not sure I am saying that right). THANK YOU CANNONBALLGUY!!!!!

Think I found a Parrott Shell today around the Battle of Auburn in Warrenton VA. Not sure what to do with it or how to tell if it is live. I marked it and left it where I found it in case it is dangerous. Any thoughts?

 

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[villagenut]

That's pretty awesome, that's fer sure. I don't know if it is any danger or not but definitely a showpiece. congrats!!

 

[jwarner51]

I'd sure get back there and get it. I think Beau Ouimette on YouTube has a video concerning the safety and how to disarm those old artillery shells. Great find!

 

[acm3]

Thanks! I would really like to bring it home but the wife and kids are not so sure. I would love info on how to render is safe so I could keep it as a show piece. I live in Warrenton VA area and have started back "hunting". Some great places around here. I am currently hitting a location in the Battle of Auburn area.

 

[Desert Don]

It looks like you have already moved it. That was risky! If it is a shell, it's still live. The best thing to do if you think you have found some live ordnance is to call the police department and let them make the determination. I myself had a very close call with a live bomb some years ago. I found it on an old World War II bombing and strafing range. I did not dig it up once I saw the fins. EOD had to come out to evaluation it. They determined that it was far too dangerous to move. So they blew it up on site. I have since found more than twenty bombs in the area close to my home. Two of them had to be destroyed on site. Some of the smaller ones are not dangerous. I was taught how to make them safe. In fact, I found one just today. I'll be making a post on the "Today's Finds" later. What I found today was a Mark 23 Marker bomb, and are the only ones I will handle. Everything else stays in place for EOD to deal with.

Gotta admit that that is a pretty cool find though...

Desert Don

 

[GaRebel1861]

That's a really nice find!!! No kidding. If I were you, I'd send a PM to Cannonballguy and see what he has to say. Good luck and be safe.

 

[Vino]

If you call the police, you consider it gone. They will get rid of it no matter what.
I cant help you with what to do. But I do know the will dispose of it and the history will be gone.
Hang in there, someone will help you out.

 

[CTwoods]

I don't scare easy and I don't know anything about shells....but is some relic worth taking a risk? If I thought I needed to own it, I'd find a pro CW guy to go there and disarm it, and I would not go near it until then. I base this only on that one collector that got killed working on one, and he supposedly knew all about them

Rusty junk is not worth dying for. That's all it would be if it went up. When it is safe, then it finally becomes a nice CW relic to display

 

[jwarner51]

I agree with vino on this one. It's as good as gone of you call the police

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

CTwoods wrote:
> I'd find a pro CW guy to go there and disarm it...

That would be me. I've been making excavated civil war artillery shells inert for over 40 years. Even the US National Park Service has used me to make safe some shells that have been found by their Rangers on park land. Also, I'm the co-author of the book "Field Artillery Projectiles of the American Civil War." (Google it.) I'll testify publically that there is NO danger in digging up and transporting a civil war artillery shell. The proof is that we relic-hunters have dug up over 100,000 civil war shells without a single one exploding during the digging up process, and the trip home. Nearly every one of them got hit with the shovel a few times during the digging, too. Some of them do still have unspoiled black gunpowder inside them, but to get it to ignite you have to do something extraordinarily provocative -- like putting the shell into a fire or drilling into it. Doing THAT is what has caused both of the two deaths from exploding civil war shells in the past 100 years, which you may have heard about. Send me a Private Message with your telephone number so we can arrange to meet. I live in the Richmond VA area.

Vino and jwarner51 are right... if you call the police, they will automatically confiscate it and destroy it. Period. No discussion. No appeal. The Richmond Police know me and have contacted me when they come across a shell, but other Police Departments are not as open to discussion about needlessly destroying historical archeological artifacts.

 

[acm3]

Thanks everyone for your input! TheCannonballGuy - just sent you a private message. I know that the cops will take it and I will never see it again (I used to be one of those cops and worked in the area of a military bombing range where folks found ordinance while digging gardens). I would love to be able to have this rendered safe and kept for historical purposes. I am not in this for the money and will offer it to the land owner...Im in it for the hunt and the thought of finding something that has not been seen in over a 100 years!

 

[CRUSADER]

Thanks everyone for your input! TheCannonballGuy - just sent you a private message. I know that the cops will take it and I will never see it again (I used to be one of those cops and worked in the area of a military bombing range where folks found ordinance while digging gardens). I would love to be able to have this rendered safe and kept for historical purposes. I am not in this for the money and will offer it to the land owner...Im in it for the hunt and the thought of finding something that has not been seen in over a 100 years!

Good man!
Bet your glad to joined Tnet, some great assistance right there.

 

[pepperj]

Welcome to TN and that a very nice recovery and soon to saved piece of history.

 

[Desert Don]

CTwoods wrote:
> I'd find a pro CW guy to go there and disarm it...

That would be me. I've been making excavated civil war artillery shells inert for over 40 years. Even the US National Park Service has used me to make safe some shells that have been found by their Rangers on park land. Also, I'm the co-author of the book "Field Artillery Projectiles of the American Civil War." (Google it.) I'll testify publically that there is NO danger in digging up and transporting a civil war artillery shell. The proof is that we relic-hunters have dug up over 100,000 civil war shells without a single one exploding during the digging up process, and the trip home. Nearly every one of them got hit with the shovel a few times during the digging, too. Some of them do still have unspoiled black gunpowder inside them, but to get it to ignite you have to do something extraordinarily provocative -- like putting the shell into a fire or drilling into it. Doing THAT is what has caused both of the two deaths from exploding civil war shells in the past 100 years, which you may have heard about. Send me a Private Message with your telephone number so we can arrange to meet. I live in the Richmond VA area.

Vino and jwarner51 are right... if you call the police, they will automatically confiscate it and destroy it. Period. No discussion. No appeal. The Richmond Police know me and have contacted me when they come across a shell, but other Police Departments are not as open to discussion about needlessly destroying historical archeological artifacts.

Agreed on the Police confiscating it. The first two Mark 23 Marker bombs I found I was scared to death of them. But then I watched EOD come out and roughly pick them up and toss them into a box for transport. I asked them if I could have them when they finished with them. They said no. So now I don't call them on those. There is a local Army Navy surplus store not too far from here. A few months ago, while browsing around inside, I found 7 of the bombs on display and for sale for $25.00 a piece. I've often wondered if mine ended up there.

 

[N.O. noir et d'or]

Just to add to the conversation, I've now recovered four live artillery shells from battlefields in Alabama. Thank Goodness I read TheCannonballGuy's posts for advise or these great relics of Civil War history would have been lost forever!! They are my finds that I cherish the most.

 

[Louisiana Ken]

Aquachigger deals with them all the time. Contact him for advice. He has lots of CW shell vids.

 

[acm3]

N.O. nori et d'or I worked as a cop in Fort Walton Beach FL - Go SAINTS! and ROLL TIDE. love to dig down there some time soon.
Happy to say that the item found is safe at my home (thanks to all of you - especially TheCannonballGuy!). Plan to go back out tomorrow if the weather is not too wet.

 

[N.O. noir et d'or]

ACM3, Happy to hear that you have the shell at home! That must have been nice working in Fort Walton Beach - I'm retired federal law enforcement. Can't agree on the Roll Tide as I'm an LSU grad, but I'm with you on the Go Saints! If you get down this way, pm me and we can set up a hunt.

 

[CASPER-2]

 

[diggervet]

Do NOT contact the police, let cannon ball guy deactivate it for you and you will have it for years to come as a treasured relic. I dug a live confederate side loader that cb guy dearmed for me and it lives in my display case. I also bought two live shells several years ago that sat for years by the fireplace of the older man who owned them. They are not as dangerous as you have been led to believe and will not spontaneously explode if you handle them gently and use common sense. Congratulations on a great find!