TSA Discovers Five Civil War-Era Cannonballs in Checked Luggage at Alabama Airport
Transportation Security Administration officers at the Gulf Shores International Airport in Alabama flagged five Civil War-era cannonballs during a routine scan of checked luggage going under a plane this month. Lead TSA officer Justin Dupree initially feared he was handling a live explosive due to the obscured visibility of a fuse. Airport director Jesse Fosnaugh noted that the objects had an impenetrable density, appearing rusted and pitted out, with two measuring the size of grapefruits and three others slightly over an inch.
Law Enforcement Response and Passenger Interrogation
Following the discovery, Dupree alerted his supervisor, and officials determined there was no explosive risk before calling in deputies from the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office. The deputies questioned two passengers—a woman and a boy traveling with her who had the munitions in his bag. Fosnaugh stated that the woman reported purchasing the items from a roadside stand. The travelers ultimately surrendered the cannonballs, faced no criminal charges, and boarded an Allegiant Airlines flight to Oklahoma City.
Investigation Traces Munitions to Historic Fort Morgan
Police eventually linked the recovered cannonballs to Fort Morgan, a landmark located 25 miles west of the airport. Constructed after the War of 1812, the fort saw military use through the American Civil War, the Spanish-American War, World War I, and World War II, notably hosting the Battle of Mobile Bay in 1864 where Confederate forces surrendered following a two-week Union siege. According to the TSA, the artifacts have since been returned to the historic site, though an Alabama state official overseeing the fort declined to comment due to an ongoing investigation.
TSA Issues Safety Warnings Regarding Historic Items and Replicas
In response to the incident, the agency reiterated safety precautions for air travelers, pointing to past security actions such as a 2025 seizure at the Boise Airport in Idaho involving replica pipe bombs and C4 plastic explosives. Tara Corse, the TSA federal security director for Alabama, emphasized on the agency’s website that travelers should avoid bringing weapons or replicas to airports, even if inert, because they trigger security alerts, flight delays, and safety concerns.
