COVINGTON, Ky. — The Behringer-Crawford Museum, known for preserving local history, recently uncovered a historical relic.

When going through inventory, workers discovered a Japanese hand grenade from World War II.


What You Need To Know

  • Staff at the Behringer-Crawford Museum in Covington uncovered a Japanese World War II hand grenade while checking inventory

  • There were concerns about whether the grenade was live, and the Covington Police Department was called 

  • The grenade was confirmed inactive and safe

  • The museum hopes to feature the relic in a new exhibit

Jason French, longtime curator, has spent years serving as a guardian of history. He said moments like these remind him why his work keeps him on his toes.

“When I feel complacent and like, 'Oh, there's nothing else that's going to surprise me,' we find a Japanese grenade," French said.

The relic is a Type 97 hand grenade, which was a standard grenade used by the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy during World War II. The grenade was found during an inventory check, leaving staff unsure whether it was still active.

"I was not able to really tell if it was a dummy grenade or not with my initial looking, so that's kind of how we ended up having to call some experts in," French said.

The Covington Police Department assessed the bomb and deemed it safe. French said the museum hopes to plan an exhibit where the grenade can be featured, highlighting the history of Kentucky veterans. 

“We're going to really pull out all of our major collections and things that we have that tell the story of northern Kentucky, and this new find is definitely going to be on display because it's just so cool," he said.

The museum will temporarily close Monday, Jan. 20 to prepare for the upcoming exhibits. It will reopen Feb. 18.