Use Of Precision Mapping And Multiple Geophysical Methods At The Historic Reese Cemetery In Muncie, Indiana

Many privately owned historical cemeteries are found throughout the countryside in the United<br>States. One such cemetery, known as the Reese Cemetery, dates back to the pioneer settlement of<br>Indiana in the early 1800’s, and is located near Muncie, Indiana. As is often the case, documentation of<br>the individual graves is often incomplete or even non-existent, and as a result many of the oldest graves<br>become lost because they are either completely unmarked or have illegible or broken headstones. The<br>cemetery association responsible for the care of the Reese Cemetery determined that it was necessary to<br>map the entire cemetery and find as much out as practical about the locations of unmarked graves.<br>Because of strict regulations regarding the disturbance of historic cemeteries, it was deemed necessary<br>to locate the unmarked graves, buried headstones, etc. using non-intrusive methods whenever possible.<br>In July 2002, a detailed mapping project was performed on this one-acre (0.4-hectare) cemetery.<br>Precision survey mapping of topography and individual headstones, written and photographic<br>documentation of each headstone, and the completion of a geophysical survey were all performed to<br>provide a lasting record of the cemetery. The techniques used included ground penetrating radar, terrain<br>conductivity, and metal detection. This approach provided value both in terms of preserving the identity<br>and locations of the graves and in offering insight into the locations of some unmarked graves. Ground<br>penetrating radar amplitude mapping appears to have provided the single greatest insight and level of<br>detail pertaining both to graves containing metallic objects (vaults and caskets) and graves retaining<br>little more than disrupted soil strata and human remains.