Wednesday, December 5, 2012
A forgotten cemetery in a cemetery.
As we scanned 3 acres in the back of a 24 acre municipal cemetery with our Ground Penetrating radar we discovered a "forgotten cemetery." There were no markers of any kind, no monuments, no crosses, no stones, no "thing" to identify it as ground with interments.
To make it even more astounding: There were more than 150 burials on the forgotten site! Apparently it was a Pauper cemetery, a Potters Field for the community. It must have been the place where grave diggers were paid to bury folks without money, maybe even without family.
Imagine that! Imagine having so lived life that your death made no difference to someone...any one. Sad
Friday, August 17, 2012
What would you say?.
Was back at the rural church cemetery with the Cemetery Committee walking around checking my work.
Couple of months before we scanned the cemetery with Ground Penetrating Radar, found about 45 unmarked burials in less than 2 acres...pretty typical.
The committee also contracted us to map the landmarks, the burial, markers, trees, fencing, buildings, etc. so they could know where the unmarked burials were located---typical. We left orange flags marking the center of unmarked discovery...standard practice.
But, I didn't know what to say when one of the committee members saw where one flag noted an unmarked. She knew who it was, a long-standing member of the church who had died 20+ years ago. When she saw the flag marking his burial was beside another marked burial, she asked if I could move it over "some" because he and the person buried beside "didn't get along."
All I could meekly say was ... "Sure"
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Friday, May 6, 2011
Centennial Olympic Park
After four + days of scanning, we found 150 years of buried Atlanta! We scanned so much I thought we were going to find Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh...we found everything else with Ground Penetrating Radar...except what we were looking for...a leaky water pipe.
The good folks at the World Congress Center called on OMS to find a significant leak, we found everything else but...it was buried under reinforced concrete. Concrete is no problem---its the rebar than our machine has difficulty with. But from our referral, the Clayton County Leak Detection Team think they found it yesterday.
I intend to be there when they dig in a few days...I'll keep you posted...
The good folks at the World Congress Center called on OMS to find a significant leak, we found everything else but...it was buried under reinforced concrete. Concrete is no problem---its the rebar than our machine has difficulty with. But from our referral, the Clayton County Leak Detection Team think they found it yesterday.
I intend to be there when they dig in a few days...I'll keep you posted...
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Gonna bring a highway through there...
As a highway is expanded to help ease traffic, it will cross a family cemetery in a medium sized central Georgia town. Stood at the cemetery site yesterday taking measurements because this town honors its heritage rather than forgets it.
Before the road will be expanded they want to relocate the cemetery. And as they relocate they are doing everything in their power to do it right!
That's precisely where Omega Mapping Services comes in to help.
Within a few weeks, if all goes well, we will be on this site, with Ground Penetrating Radar busy attempting to discover where each burial is located. There are less than five headstones and slabs spotted, but numerous field stones marking the peaceful rest of the deceased. We did a spot scan yesterday to simply get an idea of what to expect and, as expected, found numerous hyperbolas...numerous potential burials.
This GPR and mapping assignment will be very interesting.
Cudos to this progressive community who races breakneck into the future but NOT at the expense of the glorious past.
Before the road will be expanded they want to relocate the cemetery. And as they relocate they are doing everything in their power to do it right!
That's precisely where Omega Mapping Services comes in to help.
Within a few weeks, if all goes well, we will be on this site, with Ground Penetrating Radar busy attempting to discover where each burial is located. There are less than five headstones and slabs spotted, but numerous field stones marking the peaceful rest of the deceased. We did a spot scan yesterday to simply get an idea of what to expect and, as expected, found numerous hyperbolas...numerous potential burials.
This GPR and mapping assignment will be very interesting.
Cudos to this progressive community who races breakneck into the future but NOT at the expense of the glorious past.
Monday, January 17, 2011
GPR In Someone's Backyard; an 1800 Family Cemetery
...really couldn't scan much today, 40 degrees and spitting rain.
Yet we were "out in it," at least for awhile, in a family cemetery in Middle Georgia. A modern neighborhood association, in a very nice community south of Macon is considering mapping and Ground Penetrating Radar scan of the early 19th century cemetery which they drive pass each day.
It was an amazing site. The site was more-or-less forgotten for more than 150 years. But now the 21st century has come knocking on the door of those dear, departed saints. Now well-intentioned members of the The Association have put in a Trojan Effort to get the site cleaned up and ready for salvation.
What a site: I saw memorial markers dating back into the early 1800's. One man was born in 1783! I would imagine the site measures about 1.3 acres and there are two iron-fenced in areas, less than 50 graves marked by granite markers.
But even in the rain, unofficially, we found more than a dozen unmarked burials.
Just as historians suggest, many servants and slaves were buried outside the family lots and, as expected, that is where we found most of the unmarked burials. I betcha I found ten under one lone, large oak tree. All laid out in perfect order, west facing east...all waiting for the Lord to come again in the eastern sky.
This work really is fulfilling...those folks have long since been forgotten, overlooked, but we intend to honor their heritage.
Yet we were "out in it," at least for awhile, in a family cemetery in Middle Georgia. A modern neighborhood association, in a very nice community south of Macon is considering mapping and Ground Penetrating Radar scan of the early 19th century cemetery which they drive pass each day.
It was an amazing site. The site was more-or-less forgotten for more than 150 years. But now the 21st century has come knocking on the door of those dear, departed saints. Now well-intentioned members of the The Association have put in a Trojan Effort to get the site cleaned up and ready for salvation.
What a site: I saw memorial markers dating back into the early 1800's. One man was born in 1783! I would imagine the site measures about 1.3 acres and there are two iron-fenced in areas, less than 50 graves marked by granite markers.
But even in the rain, unofficially, we found more than a dozen unmarked burials.
Just as historians suggest, many servants and slaves were buried outside the family lots and, as expected, that is where we found most of the unmarked burials. I betcha I found ten under one lone, large oak tree. All laid out in perfect order, west facing east...all waiting for the Lord to come again in the eastern sky.
This work really is fulfilling...those folks have long since been forgotten, overlooked, but we intend to honor their heritage.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Ground Penetrating Radar - A Bit complicated...
Yesterday (Dec 17) was called to help a surveyor "give" acceptable margins for a new pipe installation for a Distribution Box for a new septic field from a church.
No problem-right?
It becomes complicated when you realize the 2" line had to run:
1. beside a historic cemetery,
2. and an existing county road and
3. AND a property line with less than 2 foot' clearances all around!
Whew...did I say it was just a bit complicated!
But once again...Omega Mapping Services to the rescue --- we were able to give acceptable margins for the pipe installation without encroaching on any of the parameters!
No problem-right?
It becomes complicated when you realize the 2" line had to run:
1. beside a historic cemetery,
2. and an existing county road and
3. AND a property line with less than 2 foot' clearances all around!
Whew...did I say it was just a bit complicated!
But once again...Omega Mapping Services to the rescue --- we were able to give acceptable margins for the pipe installation without encroaching on any of the parameters!
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