Civil War cannonball found in Philly historic area

A contractor grinding a tree stump in downtown Philadelphia’s historic district has made a rare discovery.

Independence National Historical Park officials said Thursday that among the roots of the dead tree, the contractor found what appears to be a cannonball most likely linked to a Civil War recruitment camp that was at the site in 1862.

 

Park spokeswoman Jane Cowley tells KYW-AM it weighs about 3 pounds and measures roughly three inches across but it’s kind of beat up from being underground for about 150 years.

As a precaution, the Philadelphia Police Department Bomb Squad checked out the object and said there was no danger to the public.