Civil War-era cannonball destroyed in Mitchell

A Mitchell resident stumbled upon an explosive piece of 155 year-old history from the Civil War era last week.

The Mitchell Department of Public Safety received a report of a Civil War era cannonball Thursday, June 30, and determined the cannonball contained live explosives and metal balls, according to a Mitchell Police Department release.

The cannon ball was destroyed with two explosions at the city of Mitchell Landfill early Friday, July 1, by an explosive ordnance disposal unit from Ellsworth Air Force Base. The last explosion happened shortly after 4 a.m. that Friday and could be heard from miles away.

The individual who called in the cannon ball to authorities found it under a work bench in a relative’s garage in Wessington Springs and brought the cannonball back to Mitchell. After researching and finding the cannonball could be explosive, the individual contacted authorities.

Police do not know how the owner came across the cannonball. No one was injured in the explosions.