The Cabildo is a historic Louisiana state museum that sits in iconic Jackson Square in New Orleans. Among the Cabildo's many artifacts is a century-old Spanish-Colonial era cannon that sits outside the building's entrance. When maintenance crews recently investigated the cannon, they found a shocking surprise- it was loaded.

The Cabildo is currently preparing for a bi-centennial celebration of the Battle of New Orleans. As part of the celebration, many of the museum's artifacts are receiving some restoration. That's how Cabildo workers discovered the century old surprise hidden within their cannon.

Maintenance Director Wade Levy told WWL:

“You could see the part, like part of the sphere of the cannonball down there. I thought oh my God, I couldn’t believe it was a cannonball.”

After further investigation, researchers determined the cannon ball and accompanying shrapnel in the cannon dated back to the Civil War.