All clear given after Civil War cannonball found in Berwick

State police and Army experts were called in Tuesday after a Berwick public works crew dug up what appeared to be a Civil War artillery round near the Berwick Civic Center.

The Berwick town government’s Facebook page said Berwick police were contacted at 9 a.m. after the workers dug up the cannonball while clearing a ditch in the wood line behind the center.

Louisiana State Police Hazmat specialists were contacted, and they in turn called in U.S. Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal specialists.

“The EOD Unit arrived around 3 p.m. and was able to make the object safe and took it into their possession so it can be properly identified then safely disposed of,” the Berwick Facebook post said.

The site is a quarter-mile behind the Civic Center and the daycare center and half a mile from Berwick Junior High and Berwick High schools. The schools remained open but operated under a cautionary status. No roads were closed and no homes were evacuated.

The area was declared safe about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.

“The Berwick Police Department appreciates the Louisiana State Police and the US Army for their assistance with this matter,” the Berwick Facebook post said. “The police department also appreciates the public’s cooperation during the handling of this incident as well.”

According to the American Battlefield Trust website, Civil War artillery could fire cannonballs, which were no more than solid iron balls that were used against enemy fortifications and artillery. Other rounds were packed with an explosive charge and shrapnel for use against enemy troops.