Steve Martin, a 52‑year‑old rancher in Atascosa County, turned a 20‑pound Civil War artillery shell into a desk‑side paperweight after his son unearthed it while fishing near a creek.
The object, long thought a harmless dummy, attracted curious visitors who often lifted it to examine its iron band. One day, a truck driver with a military background paused, ran a hand over the shell, and warned Martin it could still be live.
Martin called the Atascosa County Sheriff’s Office, where Deputy Sheriff Raj Patel confirmed the round’s suspicious appearance and dispatched an explosive‑ordnance disposal (EOD) team from Joint Base San Antonio‑Lackland. The team arrived on Thursday, assessed the shell, and declared it a live Parrott round.
Parrott rounds were muzzle‑loading rifled projectiles designed by West Point graduate Robert Parker Parrott in 1861, known for their wrought‑iron reinforcing band and devastating firepower against Union fortifications. The 20‑pound shell, weighing roughly 9 kilograms, retained a functional primer despite its age.
The EOD squad transported the round to Camp Bullis, a military training range north of San Antonio, where specialists detonated it safely in a controlled blast. No one was injured, and the blast left only a crater and a cautionary tale.
Martin, who had grown fond of the relic, lamented that the shell could not be preserved. The incident underscores that centuries‑old artillery can still pose lethal risks and prompts the state to warn the public about unexploded Civil War ordnance.