Bomb Technicians Investigate Antique Cannonball in Enfield

A local resident discovered a cannonball in the Thompsonville section of Enfield Friday night, prompting a brief evacuation of several homes and a visit from state police bomb technicians.

The citizen found the cannonball in a friend's back yard on South Street around 8 p.m., and brought it to his home on Cottage Green. He looked up information about the device online, then moved it outside his home and called police, Lt. William Zaczynski said.

Enfield police set up a perimeter around the area and evacuated neighboring homes. An Everbridge notification was sent out to all residents living within a quarter-mile of the scene, Zaczynski said.

State police bomb technicians responded from Avon and determined the cannonball was inert. A police officer at the scene said technicians estimated the device was from the Civil War area.

State and local police returned to South Street and searched the area where the cannonball was originally found, but discovered nothing. Officers determined there was no threat to residents, and cleared the scene around 9:30, Zaczynski said.

A second Everbridge notification was sent immediately after the safety determination was made, the lieutenant added.