A quiet neighborhood in Medford was jolted into action Thursday after a military ordnance was discovered at Condon Shell on Mystic Valley Parkway. The Massachusetts State Police quickly responded, with patrols and the Bomb Squad deploying to secure the location. A piece of the past had surfaced, benign yet potent in the memory it invoked.
MSP patrols and Bomb Squad and @MedfordMAFire on scene for military ordnance located at Condon Shell on Mystic Valley Parkway (Rt16). The west side of the Parkway is closed from
— Mass State Police (@MassStatePolice) February 3, 2024
Main St to Winthrop
St. @MassDFS @EOPSS pic.twitter.com/T00Vhu8U71
Traffic in the area ground to a halt as the west side of the Parkway was closed from Main St to Winthrop St, according to a post from the Mass State Police. The Medford Fire Department was also on the scene, a multi-service response that underscored the potential danger of the find. Curiosity and concern rippled through the community, as residents stood by watching the teams work, the grey afternoon punctuated by the bright lights of service vehicles.
Upon examination, it was determined that the device, reminiscent of warfare, was not active. It posed no threat to the public. The discovery, however, peeled back the suburban present, momentarily revealing a trace of the tumultuous heritage of human conflict. Once active, these devices were instrumental in the chaos of war, now just a relic, tethered to historical consequence yet dormant in its current form.
The quick actions of the Mass State Police, the Bomb Squad, and a Medford Fire Department helped ensure public safety. No injuries were reported during the incident, and once the ordnance was determined to be inactive, normalcy began its slow return to Mystic Valley Parkway. The parkway, a vein of Medford, was back in the flow, a momentary pause in its daily rhythm serving as a reminder of the unexpected ways history can surface.
