Please send me a picture as well and I will see what I can do. In the mean time, please stop agitating it or handling it. As explosives age they become more sensitive and can go off with surprising ease. If you are seriously concerned I suggest you contact your local police department. They should be able to tell you what it is quickly, and if it is dangerous they can dispose of it properly and safely. Jeff Farrar Pamela Silvestri <[log in to unmask]> wrote: A member of the Vernon Historical Society presented us with an object to identify. It was given to her early this summer by another member, who claims a plumber found it in the wall of her house. I tried to get more details - I know the street where the house is (I used to live on this street) and most of the houses were built in the mid to late 1800's. I reluctantly took this object home -the lady who brought it in had left it on a cart in the museum and I didn't want her to bring it back home (she had it on her kitchen table all summer), nor to have it left in the museum. My first thought about the object was that it is some sort of gunpowder flask. The possibility that it may be a hand grenade was in the back of my mind. Having dug up a WWII landmine when I was a teen - I learned then from an explosives expert from the Army base that the mine though lacking a detonator, was considered 'live' and unstable. So I am 'handling' this object as such until I find out for sure otherwise. If you think you may be able to help with an ID - I'd appreciate it and I can e-mail you photos. The body of the object is iron/steel (ferrous-containing), cylindrical and is 3 1/2". There is a brass ball stopper. I carefully jiggled it around and can tell that there is an attached rod. I can 'taste' the 'gunpowder'. When shook (slightly) I can hear debris inside. The flask/container is soldered at the seams and there's a silver solder repair. Hope you can help and thanks in advance for your time! Pam Pamela Silvestri, Museum Assistant Northeast States Civilian Conservation Corps Museum Shenipsit State Forest 166 Chestnut Hill Road Stafford Springs, Connecticut 06076 (860) 684-3430 ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes). --------------------------------- Find your next car at Yahoo! Canada Autos ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).