A North Hall property owner this morning found something a little startling in the crawl space of a vacant home under renovation — an old artillery shell.

At about 9:30 a.m., Hall County sheriff's deputies responded to a call about a suspicious object at a home in the 3600 block of Garden Boulevard. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation also responded and confirmed the object was an artillery shell, according to a news release from the sheriff's office.

Due to the shell's degraded condition, technicians were unable to determine what type of shell it was, said Col. Jeff Strickland, spokesman for the sheriff's office. A U.S. Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team from Fort Benning removed the shell.

The area surrounding the home was evacuated to allow the Army team to package and load the shell for transport. The team will destroy the shell at another location.

Officials are unsure how or when the shell was placed under the home, but judging from its appearance, it likely was stored there for many years, Strickland said. The home is currently vacant but has been occupied off and on for decades.

The sheriff's office encourages anyone who discovers such item to be extremely cautious by not disturbing the item in any way and calling 911 immediately.

The incident remains under investigation by the Hall County Sheriff's Office, Criminal Investigation Division.