US couple finds live Civil War-era artillery shell in basement of newly bought home

A young couple in Pennsylvania, United States, discovered a live Civil War-era artillery shell while clearing out the basement of their recently purchased home on Sunday. The couple came across the suspicious object among belongings left behind by the previous owners in South Connellsville, Fayette County. They contacted the police, who called in a bomb squad to examine it.

Specialists later confirmed that the object was a live artillery shell dating back to the American Civil War.The discovery was made at a house in the 1900 block of Fourth Street. According to CBS Pittsburgh, the couple had recently bought the property and were removing items that the former owners had not taken with them. During the cleaning, they noticed something unusual in the basement.

Rather than attempting to identify the object themselves, they decided to inform the authorities.Fayette County 911 confirmed that emergency responders were requested at approximately 1.20 pm after the homeowner reported finding what they believed might be a mortar.