Couple finds Civil War cannonballs washed up by Hurricane Dorian on Folly Beach

FOLLY BEACH, S.C. – — A couple combing a South Carolina beach after Hurricane Dorian thought they’d discovered a large rock, but soon realized they’d stumbled upon two Civil War-era cannonballs lodged in the sand.

Aaron Lattin told news outlets that he and his girlfriend encountered the 150-year-old relics on the edge of Folly Beach, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from Charleston, Friday night.

Folly Beach Police Chief Andrew Gilreath confirmed to news outlets the couple had found an 8-inch (203-millimeter) cannonball and a smaller 3-inch (76-millimeter) shell that’d been uncovered by the storm that swept up the coast last week. The Charleston County Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Air Force explosive ordnance disposal experts inspected the artifacts and deemed them safe.

Following 2016’s Hurricane Matthew, 16 cannonballs washed up at the same beach.