FOLLY BEACH, S.C. (CBS Newspath/WCSC) — A couple on Folly Beach went out on the hunt for cool shells left behind by Dorian but they ended up finding a relic from the past.
Aaron Lattin and his girlfriend Alba were curious to see what the hurricane could have brought to the beach.
“I wanted to get a metal detector and especially after the hurricane and see if there’s anything, any history or artifacts that kind of washed up on the shore,” Lattin said.
But they were left puzzled by what they found
“At first we just thought it was a rock,” he said. “The more we got to looking we realized it was more than a rock.”
Authorities say it was a Civil War-era cannonball unearthed by the hurricane and lying in the sand.
“We actually just got lucky with no equipment, just spending a day at the beach,” Lattin said.
The location is in front of the Morris Island Lighthouse on the very edge of Folly Beach. It’s kind of hidden in brush but this isn’t the first time that cannonballs have been found in this area.
Following Hurricane Matthew in 2016, 16 civil war cannonballs were found in the same location.
The couple who found the cannonballs said they believe there to be more in the area.
After reporting it, police, fire and local EOD teams responded, confirming the relics and making sure the cannonballs weren’t still live and dangerous.