# indian burial grounds



## .243wssm

do yall know anything about them


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## RackNBeardOutdoors

I was wondering the same? Are you reffering to rocks piled up in different parts in the woods, or burial grounds in general?


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## Handgunner

If you ever get up to northwest Georgia, stop by the Etowah Indian Mounds... Gorgeous place with lots of history!

http://gastateparks.org/info/etowah/


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## .243wssm

yeah rocks piled up


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## .243wssm

i found this arrowhead around there


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## Handgunner

Shame the tip is broken... Nice find!

Looks like a fresh break... look around a bit more and you may find the tip.


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## Ctrimble87

Handgunner said:


> Shame the tip is broken... Nice find!
> 
> Looks like a fresh break... look around a bit more and you may find the tip.



if you ever have the chance to ride down the Natchez Trace it has a few of those Idian mounds really cool area and very fun drive to Nashville!


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## foodplotplanter

i had an old black man tell me once that slaves piled these rocks up when they used to work the fields back in the plantation days.
sounds like a good answer to me.may or may not be right


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## .243wssm

theres not really  fields where i found this at just planted pines a river some marsh  , and i found 2 or 3 different piles on a hill going down into the river


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## dawg2

.243wssm said:


> theres not really  fields where i found this at just planted pines a river some marsh  , and i found 2 or 3 different piles on a hill going down into the river



Are they on the eastern side?  If so, it is a good chance they could be graves.  Also, what kind of rock is it?  Any pics?  I have a bunch of graves on my property.


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## foodplotplanter

i don`t know what all countys these are in but if you walk around the woods at piedmont,there are hundreds of these piles of rocks and else where in jones county.these piles are different sizes ranging from just a few feet wide to some as big as 10 feet wide and over five feet high.we even found one that was shaped like a bowl that we thought may have been used for a fire pit.i do know that all this land was cotton plantation back in the 1800s.i don`t know if slaves piled these up or not ,but it sounds better then being graves.that is just what i`ve been told.by no means am i saying this is fact


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## shawn mills

most rock piles in the woods are as stated above, piles from fields being cleared. true buriel grounds exist all over Georgia, both known and relatively unknown. There are many large mounds and small mound complexes throughout the state, again both known and relatively unknown. I have hunted relics all over the south and have seen many village sites and burial grounds. Surface hunting with permission is one thing, but, NEVER disturb burial grounds!  Check the internet and libraries for further info on mounds and tumuli in the south. P.S. nice find!


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## dawg2

shawn mills said:


> ... Surface hunting with permission is one thing, but, NEVER disturb burial grounds!  Check the internet and libraries for further info on mounds and tumuli in the south. P.S. nice find!



Very true!  Never disturb burial grounds.  It is a federal Offense.


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## Incawoodsman

Not only that, but there is some ancient magic withing the burial ground. I know most of you don't believe in that kind of thing, and I usually don't either, but there is something about indian's and the burial grounds, just a feeling I get, and I usually listen to my intuition. I respect it, and I would never disturb it, it doesn't scare me, but thats because I would never mess with it. It would scare me if I took a friend and found he peed all over it. 

  Anyhow, I remember reading a post on here about a guy who went hunting with his brother here in Middle Georgia. They went their seperate ways and met back. When they met his brother brought with him something back from the woods. It was a skull carved out of crystal, or some similair material. He said it was EXTREMElY heavy for its size, and also it just gave out a really dark, ominous vibe, like a pending doom was on them. It just gave them the creeps to have it around them. They ended up putting it back where they found it.

 Stuff like that I believe.


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## FX Jenkins

Can't go through here.



Why not?



Crow burial ground. Sacred.



We'll have to turn around
and head east.



How far east?



Next pass.



   miles or so.



Those people are waiting for us!
Now they're freezing, hungry and scared.



Crow only come
with medicine men and burying parties!



-We are not Crows!
-What would happen, Johnson?



l don't know.



l don't know.



This is big medicine.
They guard it with spirits.



You don't believe that.



lt doesn't matter. They do.


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## dawg2

FX Jenkins said:


> lt doesn't matter. They do.



Very true.

Great movie too.  One of my all time favorites


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## Handgunner

A person shouldn't need a law to tell them to leave a burial mound alone.

Respect should.


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## dawg2

Handgunner said:


> A person shouldn't need a law to tell them to leave a burial mound alone.
> 
> Respect should.



Problem is they don't.  I know of a local Cherokee burial ground that has been robbed.  Some folks were caught but not all.  Federal Offense.  They were selling the stuff on line.  SICK.  Like digging up folks for their gold teeth.


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## Incawoodsman

dawg2 said:


> Very true.
> 
> Great movie too.  One of my all time favorites




  WHat movie is that, it sounds like a good one!!!!


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## Handgunner

dawg2 said:


> Problem is they don't.  I know of a local Cherokee burial ground that has been robbed.  Some folks were caught but not all.  Federal Offense.  They were selling the stuff on line.  SICK.  Like digging up folks for their gold teeth.


Yep.. Sad.

I'd love to have some the Indian stuff that could be found in those mounds.  But not enough to go digging one up...  Indians were "bad"... the Spirits could be worse.


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## dawg2

Incawoodsman said:


> WHat movie is that, it sounds like a good one!!!!





You need to buy it now!


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## Incawoodsman

Ahaha, actually I have the movie and have seen it about a bazillion times with my father. Just forgot that part, duH!

  I have the dvd right now looking at it. Its time I watched it again. I like when he finds the frozen man with the note, takes the gun. Also when he gets chased around by the Grizzly, lol.

  I really need to watch that again.


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## shawn mills

I have a friend that found some relics in burial sites in Forsyth county on his property years ago. At the time he was doing loader work and didnt realize the relics they had found were in a burial site. They found out later with the discovery of femur bones. The relics were on his dresser in his bedroom. He told me he and his wife were awaken late one night by an indian "apperation" standing at the foot of his bed that pointed at the relics on the dresser and then back towards the site where they were found. I've known him a long time. He's not the kind for hocus pocus stories and doesnt have a substance abuse problem! I normally would say "yeah right" to a story like this, however, I have been deep in swamps and woods on large mound sites surface hunting and suddenly felt the presence of people around me. Not that I was doing anything illegal and felt like someone alive was watching me...rather someone connected to the village or burial site from long ago was there. Not much in this world makes the hair on my neck stand up but this has happened on more than one occasion. I have also been surface hunting relics on more than one occasion when i have felt the overwhelming "urge" to go completely off path to a certian spot in a field only to find something extraordinary on almost each occasion. I truly believe the indians of yesterday are honered when someone respectfully finds, displays and preserves relics from the past. It pays a tribute to the indians heritage and their lifestyle. But I also feel strongly about desicrating or disturbing burial grounds. Like stated by Handgunner, we shouldnt need laws to say dont do certian things... Then again, common sense just isnt too common anymore is it?


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## swamphawg

*Nice spear head and pottery found*

I found both of these yesterday in the woods sitting right on top of a dirt mound. Does anyone have a clue what the pottery piece might be. It's grooved on each side. I wonder if it was used to wrap string or something around??? Any help would be greatly appreciated.


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## Handgunner

swamphawg said:


> I found both of these yesterday in the woods sitting right on top of a dirt mound. Does anyone have a clue what the pottery piece might be. It's grooved on each side. I wonder if it was used to wrap string or something around??? Any help would be greatly appreciated.


Nice finds!


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## shawn mills

the piece "notched on each end" is most likely a gorget. most gorgets are carved out of stone but i have seen them made of pottery. There has been a lot of dispute as to their use but its commonly believed that they were worn as neck and wrist pendants. A large number of them have holes in them. NICE FINDS.


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## swamphawg

shawn mills said:


> the piece "notched on each end" is most likely a gorget. most gorgets are carved out of stone but i have seen them made of pottery. There has been a lot of dispute as to their use but its commonly believed that they were worn as neck and wrist pendants. A large number of them have holes in them. NICE FINDS.



Thanks Shawn. I'm wondering if the "mound" where I found these two pieces as well as several other shards of pottery and flakes might have some more good finds inside of it. Do you think the small holes in the surface came from just the kilning process or they're actual designs put in there?


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## shawn mills

From the pictures it looks like theyre in some sort of a pattern. i'd say they were intentional decoration. I found several "quarter" sized pottery disks several years ago that resembeled small "chunky" or game stones in Hancock county, Ga. some of these had decor on them including common "check stamp" to large crosses or X's on them. I'd continue searching the area and any other bare ground in the area, especially high ground and near creeks or rivers close by. Obviously, they were definatly in the area and its a gimmie their's a village site nearby.


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## dawg2

swamphawg said:


> Thanks Shawn. I'm wondering if the "mound" where I found these two pieces as well as several other shards of pottery and flakes might have some more good finds inside of it. Do you think the small holes in the surface came from just the kilning process or they're actual designs put in there?



A mound could very well be a grave.  It is illegal to dig them up.


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## Rem270

I have several mounds of rocks in some hardwoods not to far from the edge of what was planted pines (now a stupid Lowes) and could have been farmed fields.  I know the land was farmed decades ago but I am not sure what was farmed and what was open fields.  I have found several civil war relics including a cannon ball in my back yard.  I wondered if they were old civil war burial grounds.  Rocks from farmed fields have been what I assumed they were growing up but after finding the civil war bullets, cannon ball, shell fragments, and other stuff I got to wondering if they were shallow grave sites.  I know from research I have done there was a confederate camp site not far from my back yard June 17 through June 19 1864 along the Mud Creek Line leading up to the Kennesaw Mountain Battle around June 24 through June27.  That made me wonder if they could be shallow graves.  Interesting history no matter what they are.


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## swamphawg

dawg2 said:


> A mound could very well be a grave.  It is illegal to dig them up.



How do you know whether it's a grave or not without exploring it?


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## dawg2

swamphawg said:


> How do you know whether it's a grave or not without exploring it?



Is the mound on your property?


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## swamphawg

dawg2 said:


> Is the mound on your property?



Yes. I know that there were a lot of Indians in the area as I've found dozens of arrowheads, pottery, and other artifacts so it very well could be a mound. Then again it might just be a natural dirt mound.


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## dixie

Rem270 said:


> I have several mounds of rocks in some hardwoods not to far from the edge of what was planted pines (now a stupid Lowes) and could have been farmed fields.  I know the land was farmed decades ago but I am not sure what was farmed and what was open fields.  I have found several civil war relics including a cannon ball in my back yard.  I wondered if they were old civil war burial grounds.  Rocks from farmed fields have been what I assumed they were growing up but after finding the civil war bullets, cannon ball, shell fragments, and other stuff I got to wondering if they were shallow grave sites.  I know from research I have done there was a confederate camp site not far from my back yard June 17 through June 19 1864 along the Mud Creek Line leading up to the Kennesaw Mountain Battle around June 24 through June27.  That made me wonder if they could be shallow graves.  Interesting history no matter what they are.



My grandmother used to tell my brother and I about her and her sister playing in the woods when they were still just children and would come across shallow graves of soldiers a lot, this was over in Paulding co. About the stones, it wasn't just slaves that did that, I remember very well my Grand dad plowing then hooking the mule up to a sled, loading the rocks he'd plowed up on it, then sledding them to the edge of the field and stacking them up.


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## Jeff Phillips

Here is a good site on the "Mound Builders".

They were in Georgia until the Europeans showed up and are believed to have been wiped out by diseases brought in with the explorers.

http://www.mississippian-artifacts.com/

I just finished this book on life in North and South America before Columbus. It is a great read if you are interested. It debunks a lot of what we learned in school!

http://www.mississippian-artifacts.com/


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## dawg2

swamphawg said:


> Yes. I know that there were a lot of Indians in the area as I've found dozens of arrowheads, pottery, and other artifacts so it very well could be a mound. Then again it might just be a natural dirt mound.



Could be.  Is it on your property----->If not: IT IS ILLEGAL.  If you find human remains, then you have to contact Law Enforcement, then they do Forensics to determine if it is old or new, and then DNR gets involved.  If it had Native American artifacts on top, I would say it was a grave and I would NOT dig it up.  I think you know that though.  

I would not dig it up.  It is reprehensible to dig artifacts from a grave.  You'd make more money digging up my grandma and prying out her gold crowns with a buck knife.  I hear gold is quite high right now.


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## 60Grit

dawg2 said:


> Could be. Is it on your property----->If not: IT IS ILLEGAL. If you find human remains, then you have to contact Law Enforcement, then they do Forensics to determine if it is old or new, and then DNR gets involved. If it had Native American artifacts on top, I would say it was a grave and I would NOT dig it up. I think you know that though.
> 
> I would not dig it up. It is reprehensible to dig artifacts from a grave. You'd make more money digging up my grandma and prying out her gold crowns with a buck knife. I hear gold is quite high right now.


 
Just how many crowns did she have???


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## swamphawg

dawg2 said:


> Could be.  Is it on your property----->If not: IT IS ILLEGAL.  If you find human remains, then you have to contact Law Enforcement, then they do Forensics to determine if it is old or new, and then DNR gets involved.  If it had Native American artifacts on top, I would say it was a grave and I would NOT dig it up.  I think you know that though.
> 
> I would not dig it up.  It is reprehensible to dig artifacts from a grave.  You'd make more money digging up my grandma and prying out her gold crowns with a buck knife.  I hear gold is quite high right now.



Hahaha. I think I'll just let granny rest in peace. The mound is on my property. Does that entitle me to legally dig? I don't think it's a grave. It's not long enough unless they put the ole' fella in the fetal position before they put em in there. I know that they would have stashes where they'd put a bunch of their tools and such. But if I find a skeleton in there I'm prone just to cover it back up and apologize to whoever's layin there.


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## 60Grit

swamphawg said:


> Hahaha. I think I'll just let granny rest in peace. The mound is on my property. Does that entitle me to legally dig? I don't think it's a grave. It's not long enough unless they put the ole' fella in the fetal position before they put em in there. I know that they would have stashes where they'd put a bunch of their tools and such. But if I find a skeleton in there I'm prone just to cover it back up and apologize to whoever's layin there.


 

It wouldn't need to be a long mound. The Creek Indians buried their dead in a circular pit, sitting up. Why disturb it?


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## dawg2

swamphawg said:


> Hahaha. I think I'll just let granny rest in peace. The mound is on my property. Does that entitle me to legally dig? I don't think it's a grave. It's not long enough unless they put the ole' fella in the fetal position before they put em in there. I know that they would have stashes where they'd put a bunch of their tools and such. But if I find a skeleton in there I'm prone just to cover it back up and apologize to whoever's layin there.



They did bury them in the fetal position a lot.  Sometimes they cremated them and put the remains in there along with personal artifacts.  Many tribes had a tradition of adding a small rock or pebble to a grave anytime they walked past it that could continue for generations.  

A mound that has indian artifacts on top is most likely a grave.  A "cache" would be different and barely noticeable.  I really hope you don't.


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## Sultan of Slime

60Grit said:


> Just how many crowns did she have???



 or  ?

I am going with


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## swamphawg

Sorry to drag this out so far but I'm still wondering if it's legal or not to dig in a mound if it's on your own property?


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## dawg2

60Grit said:


> Just how many crowns did she have???



You and I could probably retire

Buncha clowns


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## dawg2

swamphawg said:


> Sorry to drag this out so far but I'm still wondering if it's legal or not to dig in a mound if it's on your own property?



Read this:

http://www.ibsgwatch.imagedjinn.com/learn/georgialaw.htm


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## dawg2

Sultan of Slime said:


> or  ?
> 
> I am going with



Go get your pliers


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## swamphawg

Thanks for all the help Dawg.


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## swamphawg

60Grit said:


> It wouldn't need to be a long mound. The Creek Indians buried their dead in a circular pit, sitting up. Why disturb it?



I wouldn't want to mess with a grave. I figured though if it was a cache it'd be worth taking a look at. I see exactly where you're coming from but "disturbing" graves and historical sites is how archaeologists make their living. I'd be curious just to see if there's any significance or history in it. Trust me, I think the dead should be left alone.


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## bow_hunter125

Our neighbors have a Cherokee indian mound in their front yard from the 1700s.  We think that there is also one in our backyard.


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## bdpost

*Dont know for sure*

But on my neighbors property there are a group of mounds. They are on the east side of a hill above a creek and pond. They are right across the property line so I can see them from the fire break but I have never really poked around them. Figure it would be best to let those spirits be! What do you think?
Thanks


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## dawg2

bdpost said:


> But on my neighbors property there are a group of mounds. They are on the east side of a hill above a creek and pond. They are right across the property line so I can see them from the fire break but I have never really poked around them. Figure it would be best to let those spirits be! What do you think?
> Thanks



Are those mounds earth or rock?  Hard to tell from the pics.  Mounds on eastern slopes overlooking a valley with a water feature (creek or river) have a high probability of being indian graves.  The east is the land of the "living" and the water is a path to the afterlife.  Usually groups of mounds on eastern slopes are even higher probability of graves.


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## Handgunner

Bdpost, nice picture of  neat place.. Just think when those mounds were made, the land was probably bare...

Dawg2, I didn't know that.  See you can learn me something..


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## PJason

swamphawg said:


> I found both of these yesterday in the woods sitting right on top of a dirt mound. Does anyone have a clue what the pottery piece might be. It's grooved on each side. I wonder if it was used to wrap string or something around??? Any help would be greatly appreciated.



I think you have a piece of cordmarked ceramic there, with what maybe holes on the side. I can not place the name for the holes. More then likely the pot broke around the area of the holes and you just have a shred. A better photo would be nice. Also if you look at the edge what kind of grog do you see?


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## swamphawg

PJason said:


> Also if you look at the edge what kind of grog do you see?



I'm not real sure what you mean by "grog"?


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## bdpost

*Not really*

Sure but I think they are dirt. There is a lot of moss on them and I am a big fan of no tresspassing! They are about 20 yards off my property. However they are in a circle, they seem tall or steep, that hill leads down to a creek head and pond, you can almost see the pond through the trees. I have always felt it was a special spot.


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## dawg2

bdpost said:


> Sure but I think they are dirt. There is a lot of moss on them and I am a big fan of no tresspassing! They are about 20 yards off my property. However they are in a circle, they seem tall or steep, that hill leads down to a creek head and pond, you can almost see the pond through the trees. I have always felt it was a special spot.



Are they circular?  About how tall and how wide across?  Also are they all same size or different sizes?


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## MIG

swamphawg said:


> Sorry to drag this out so far but I'm still wondering if it's legal or not to dig in a mound if it's on your own property?



Not if a human burial is involved.  In fact it is a felony to knowingly disturb the contents of any burial or grave, regardless of age.  Under GA law burials are not property of the owner of the land upon which the burial(s) are located - BTW, if you have native American burial(s), this doesn't mean someone's going to come condemn your property (I've heard that one before ).


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## FX Jenkins

Handgunner said:


> Dawg2, I didn't know that.  See you can learn me something..



yea I took some notes there too, you just have to filter through about 42 posts a day to find anything from that fella..


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## dawg2

FX Jenkins said:


> yea I took some notes there too, you just have to filter through about 42 posts a day to find anything from that fella..



I try at least 1 good one a day, it's hard but it does happen


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## hevishot

shawn mills said:


> most rock piles in the woods are as stated above, piles from fields being cleared. true buriel grounds exist all over Georgia, both known and relatively unknown. There are many large mounds and small mound complexes throughout the state, again both known and relatively unknown. I have hunted relics all over the south and have seen many village sites and burial grounds. Surface hunting with permission is one thing, but, NEVER disturb burial grounds!  Check the internet and libraries for further info on mounds and tumuli in the south. P.S. nice find!



yep....most rock piles are NOT indian mounds but people often mistake them as such. Remember, they may be in the woods now but at one time those woods could have been fields. Bad juju to dig in a grave site!


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## dawg2

Some of the piles around GA are more contemporary and a result of farming or clearing.  I do have quite a few piles on my property that are not a result of farming and remain undisturbed except one that somebody dug around in probably 30-40 years ago based on the sdepth of the rocks in the gound where they were chunked.   Another big concentration of them is on the Biltmore property in the Carolinas (Biltmore Estate).  The location and type of pile or type of rock is a big indicator of whether it is a result of farming or indians.  What I have is composed entirely of quartz or quartzite pieces varying from grapefruit to honeydew sized pieces that were all taken to the top of a hill, which no farmer would do, and there is no quartz in the immediate vicinity, except for gravel in the creek below.  ALl of it was brought in from a massive quartz vein (we believe) from about 3-4 miles away.

  Another indicator of an indian pile would be one that was composed entirely of granitic gneiss, but having one  or a few smaller pieces of quartz which they revered for its "magical" (piezo electric) properties, placed on top.

Some of the mounds or "cairns" in GA have been found to have bone fragments, or artifacts and others nothing.  So no one is really sure what some of the mounds were actually for.  But ones on eastern slopes overlooking water tend to be graves and should be left alone out of respect.


Here is a decent link if you want a starting place for research.

http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-2867


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## .243wssm

the ones i saw were on the side of a steep hill leading down into a river/swamp and the rocks were a little bit bigger than a softball  and it was like 3 feet high , 3 feet across , 7 foot long with a dead tree at the bottom with rocks around it  there were 2 or 3 other ones  i saw the same size or a little bit smaller on the way back up the hill     and somebody said there was half a canoe found by the river


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## dawg2

.243wssm said:


> the ones i saw were on the side of a steep hill leading down into a river/swamp and the rocks were a little bit bigger than a softball  and it was like 3 feet high , 3 feet across , 7 foot long with a dead tree at the bottom with rocks around it  there were 2 or 3 other ones  i saw the same size or a little bit smaller on the way back up the hill     and somebody said there was half a canoe found by the river



What you describe could be a grave, but it could be early settlers too.  Hard to say without some good pics of them.


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## swamphawg

The mounds on my place face southeast but they are in a long line adjacent to a major creek on the slope of a hill. Granted they could be the result of loggin years ago, I'm not sure, but I do know for a fact there was a heavy concentration of indians there. There is pottery and flint almost everywhere you look. Hard to say though.


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## .243wssm

theres flint allover the place here to


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## the HEED!

i came across a mound of sorts with smaller mounds around it on warwoman wma years back while deer hunting, i walked up on the edges and looked across the top and noticed the smaller mounds around it, I remember it gave me a disturbing feeling of some kind, really couldnt put my finger on it


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## hevishot

yep heed that is a feeling you never forget...I've felt it myself.


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## dawg2

This is a grave.  One of many on this ridge.


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## swamphawg

How can you tell that's a grave and not just a pile of rocks?


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## dawg2

swamphawg said:


> How can you tell that's a grave and not just a pile of rocks?



Had a local expert that moves or identifies Indian graves for preservation for developers have a look and verify.  His business does site surveys and archeological digs, he does a lot of work for federal property too.


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## swamphawg

I got you. that's pretty awesome man!


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