CONFEDERATE GUNS IN THE GRAVEYARD: AN ARCHAEO-GEOPHYSICAL SURVEY IN MYRTLE HILL CEMETERY, ROME, GEORGIA

On January 6th, 2006 a GPR survey was carried out at Myrtle Hill Cemetery in Rome, Georgia to investigate a report by a local individual that metal detector readings were high in a small area on the south side of the hill. The extent local legend holds that retreating Civil War troops buried two cannons and disguised them as graves within this area of the cemetery. Because this legend has persisted since shortly after the war, it was hoped that a multi-sensor, geophysical survey might elucidate its validity (or lack thereof). Geophysical methods were an ideal choice in another important respect: Myrtle Hill Cemetery is on the National Register of Historic Places, and excavation of any sort presents prohibitive constraints.

After processing of the GPR data was completed, a significant anomaly was revealed within the survey grid. A follow-up survey on February 12th, 2006 was performed using a gradiometer within an expanded version of the grid. The gradiometer data confirmed the presence of the anomaly. Further calculations using both the GPR and magnetic transects suggested that the anomaly most likely is a man-made, metallic object approximately 1.5 meters long and 0.5 meters wide. The orientation and depth (0.75 meter) for the anomaly convincingly rule out the hypothesis that this is a grave, as do additional anomalies within the grid that exhibit grave-like properties that occur at different orientation and depth.