Civil War shells evacuate Kennesaw University

Students waited outside the building for the all clear on Aug. 30, 2010, after a Kennesaw State University classroom building was evacuated because of Civil War relics that authorities feared were dangerous.

The cannon balls were not uncovered during construction or an archeological dig, but had been gathering dust in a display case for three years on the third floor of the Social Sciences building. The room had limited access. A school staff member began wondering whether the old Civil War era ordnance was still a threat to life and limb. So the person contacted the campus police, who contacted the Cobb Police bomb squad.

Campus police were opening doors for students to enter the building for class early in the morning. Shortly after 11 a.m., police came knocking on doors, asking students and teachers to leave. KSU began texting students, telling them of the situation and letting them know morning classes in the building were canceled. Everyone left the building calmly, and the police asked them to stand back at least 100 feet from the building.

The Cobb bomb squad removed the cannonballs from the building and took them to an isolated location, where members used explosives to blow up the old shells. Classes in the building resumed at 2 p.m.

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