A routine bag check at Gulf Shores International Airport turned into an unusual bit of detective work last weekend when Transportation Security Administration officers discovered five small cannonballs stolen from historic Fort Morgan tucked inside a passenger’s luggage.
According to a TSA press release, lead officer Justin Dupree was screening bags on July 18 when an X-ray image showed an opaque, rounded object that he initially thought might be a medicine ball. A closer look at the bag revealed five small cannonballs wrapped in paper towels, prompting Dupree to alert a supervisor.
“I had never seen anything quite this unique,” said Dupree, a TSA officer of four years. “I’ve seen inert grenades and training munitions but never an Indiana Jones-esque stolen artifact-type situation.”
A supervisor determined the objects were potentially dangerous, and the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office was called in to investigate. Testing determined the cannonballs did not contain any explosive material and were inert, but investigators also found they did not belong to the passenger carrying them.
According to the TSA release, a police investigation determined the cannonballs had been taken from historic Fort Morgan, a coastal fortification that played a significant role in several military conflicts, most notably the Civil War. Investigators said the passenger appeared unaware of how the artifacts had originally been taken from the site.
The Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office was able to return the cannonballs to Fort Morgan. Dupree said the cannonballs varied in size, with the larger ones roughly comparable to grapefruits and about as heavy as a small shot put.
TSA Alabama Federal Security Director Tara Corse used the incident to remind travelers that weapons of any kind, including inert or replica items, are not permitted through security checkpoints.
“Even if inert and not active, travelers should avoid bringing weapons of any kind, including replicas, to the airport,” Corse said. “They can cause security alerts, flight delays and safety concerns.”
Fort Morgan, located at the mouth of Mobile Bay near the tip of the Fort Morgan peninsula in Baldwin County, is one of the best-preserved 19th-century coastal fortifications on the Gulf Coast. Built in the early 1800s, the fort played a central role in the 1864 Battle of Mobile Bay and later served military functions through both World Wars before being preserved as a historic site. It remains a popular destination for visitors interested in Alabama’s military history, and its grounds and museum house numerous artifacts from its long service history, including period cannons and ordnance similar to the cannonballs recovered in this case.
TSA officials say screeners across the country routinely encounter unusual and sometimes historic items in carry-on and checked luggage, underscoring the agency’s advice that travelers double-check their bags for prohibited or questionable items before heading to the airport.
Update (Aug. 1, 2026):
Update (Aug. 1, 2026): The Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office has released additional details clarifying how the Civil War-era cannonballs ended up in airport luggage. According to the sheriff’s office, a juvenile took the five cannonballs from a storage area at Fort Morgan and placed them inside a relative’s checked bag; the passenger, the juvenile’s grandmother, told investigators she had no idea the artifacts were stolen when she packed them. The sheriff’s office said Fort Morgan officials declined to press charges in the case, and the cannonballs have been returned to the fort. Fort Morgan representatives did not respond to a request for comment.