After analysis by the Topeka Police Department bomb squad, an object first thought to be a Civil War-era cannonball has been identified as a 16-pound shotput. The artifact was removed from the grounds of the original United Methodist Church in Overbrook last month for scientific analysis.
Shawnee County Police Officer Randy Batman says the bomb squad used digital x-rays and found identifying marks on the object. "A few things didn't look right," Batman said. "It is not a cannonball. It is a 16-pound shotput." The item will be returned to Overbrook now that the determination has been made. Members of the Overbrook Police Department had been called to the 400 block of Walnut Street at 3:34 p.m. on Tuesday, May 21. Upon arrival, the responding officer believed the item to be an antique cannon ball. The Osage County, KS Sheriff's Office and Kansas Fire Marshal were contacted to assist at the scene. The item was removed from the scene by the Topeka Police Department bomb squad. Osage County Fire District #4 Overbrook/Michigan Valley were standing by as the item was removed. Dorthy Chickly, current owner of the residence, said she intends to donate the object to the Overbrook Historical Society if and when it is returned. The shotput was found on the grounds of Overbrook's original Methodist Church, which was build in 1888, two years after the town's founding in 1886. According to historical documents from Overbrook's current Methodist Church, the basement for the north addition to the orginal 1888 building was dug and completed in 1954, and the first floor above it completed in 1957. According to Chickly, the structure suffered flood damage in 2006, at which time the exterior north basement wall excavated to replace the perimeter drain. The shotput was discovered during the excavation but it was so mud packed, it was assumed to be a solid metal ball. "I placed it in a garden bed by the back door and forgot about it," Chickly said. "Last weekend, my son picked it up and was playing with it. I asked him to put it back in the place he found it. Then we had the rains over the weekend that cleaned the mud off of it. When he had put it back in place, he had turned it over - so the rain uncovered a new angle that clearly showed the plug. This is what iniatiated the call to help identify and confirm what it is. We're hoping Ft. Riley can confirm more details abou it." The Overbrook Historical Society will continue to provide updates about this fascinating piece of Overbrook history. First thought to have been part of some previously unknown Civil War incident in the Overbrook area, now the item is perhaps a remnant of some long ago track and field skirmish between the Overbrook Gophers and a rival team like the Carbondale Vikings or the Scranton Colts. The site where the shotput was retrieved is not far from the building that once served as Overbrook Rural High School, which still stands today and is an apartment building.
Comentarios