Debate over black powder limits, safety

Civil War re-enactor Bill Safford says a typical weekend battle can require up to 100 pounds of black powder. But in Washington state, the legal limit for storing and transporting black powder is five pounds. Rep. Barbara Bailey has introduced a bill that would significantly increase the limit for storing and transporting black powder to match federal regulations. • Article

Relic hunting probe yields artillery shell

National Park Rangers asked for assistance from local and State Police Thursday after serving a search warrant on a home in Petersburg, Va., and finding a potentially live Civil War-era Schenkl artillery shell. • Article

Relics prompt college evacuation

A college classroom building in suburban Atlanta was evacuated Monday morning because of Civil War relics that authorities feared were dangerous. • Article

Shell causes lockdown at Army center

A Civil War-era shell which a man tried to donate to the Army Heritage and Education Center in Pennsylvania caused a lockdown of the facility for about an hour when employees thought the shell might be live. • Article

Update on 42 Union artillery shells

I caught up with Henry County (Ga.) Civil War historian Mark Pollard on the status of the 42 Union artillery shells unearthed last year near Lovejoy.

As you may recall from a Picket article in October 2009, a contractor installing a new water line at a home made the discovery. The homeowner donated most of the Hotchkiss rounds to Nash Farm Battlefield, owned by Henry County.

Pollard told me at the B*ATL event in Atlanta this past weekend that the shells have been cleaned and are waiting to go into the farm's museum. The slow economy has hurt fund-raising efforts to make repairs and upgrades on the property below Atlanta. The museum did raise nearly $800 at a July 4 event and Nash Farm is planning the Simply Southern Jubilee and Re-enactment Battle in September.

Ala. fisherman reels in Civil War shell

Rusty Parker and his two nephews may not have caught any fish during their outing last week, but they did snag a piece of history. “We were just fishing from the bank in Bluewater Creek (on Alabama Highway 64) and had gotten a few bites when I saw something in the water,” said Parker, 27. “It was submerged in about 2 to 3 feet of water. When I got to it, I was twisting it around trying to pull it out.” Parker took the object home. Last week, the object examined by the Florence Police Department’s explosive devices unit. Parker had found an 8-pound artillery round for a Parrott rifle. • Article