Civil War shell found at Florida residence; will be used by Air Force for EOD training

Authorities have removed a Civil War-era artillery shell that a man who lives 35 miles north of Tampa, Fla., found while going through a shed, officials said.

(Hernando County Sheriff's Office)

A explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) technician from a nearby military base used an X-ray at the scene to determine that the 30-pound Dahlgren shell had no fuse or powder.

"They didn't need to dispose of it," said 2nd Lt. Allison Mills of MacDill Air Force Base.

In a series of Facebook posts and an incident report, the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office detailed what occurred Monday afternoon at a home in Spring Hill.

The man who had called deputies said he was in the shed of a friend when he made the discovery, an Hernando County incident report said. The shed owner said that the cylindrical, cone-shaped round had belonged to his deceased stepfather and had been in the shed for years. "The object appeared to have a metal plug inserted into the tip."

Deputies who received a call in turn called in the bomb squad from the sheriff’s office in nearby Citrus County. That group then reached out MacDill Air Force Base, which sent the expert to remove the object.

Roads were closed, but no homes were evacuated.

Mills, who is with the public affairs office of the 6th Air Mobility Wing at MacDill, told the Picket that the sand-filled shell will be kept for future EOD training on base.

"The EOD flight has found munitions from the WWI, WWII, and Civil war eras several times over the years in the Tampa Bay area," Mills said. "On average, we respond to about 5-6 events like this a year."