Unexploded cannonballs from the War of 1812 were removed Monday from the Castine Historical Society.
Kate McMahon, the society’s executive director, believes someone donated the cannonballs decades ago and had sat in storage for some time.
She said Monday that a news story about Fort McHenry in Baltimore being evacuated recently after unexploded cannonballs were found during utility work prompted staff to examine the cannonballs more closely. After an examination, they concluded the three were likely black powder cannonballs.
The Maine State Police bomb squad removed three large cannonballs, along with 16 smaller cannonballs.
“While unlikely to contain explosive powder, we wanted to ensure both the safety of our collections and facility, as well as the general public,” McMahon said.
It wasn’t the only stop for the bomb squad in Castine on Monday. It removed two dozen cannonballs from the Wilson Museum.
The bomb squad planned to destroy the cannonballs Monday.
