HOUSTON — The Harris County Sheriff's Office Bomb Unit has confirmed the Civil War-era cannonball discovered under downtown Houston Friday is safe and won't hurt anyone.
The bomb squad said they tested the cannonball and determined it didn't have a fuse or explosives inside.
The cannonball measured at about 10 inches in diameter and weighed at least 80 pounds and was likely made during the Civil War, according to Texas historian Gene Preuss.
“So as soon as the Civil War ends, there's panic in Houston and Galveston,” Preuss said. “They wanted to shut down the bars and shut down everything because they were afraid of looting and problems from the returning Civil War soldiers who might have been upset about losing the war. One of the things they did was to get rid of all the weapons because they didn't know what was going to happen when the Union troops came in in early June."
Local historians said they wouldn't be surprised if they continue to find more cannonballs underground in Houston.