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A Ground Penetrating Radar survey of the Five Mile House
was conducted on Saturday, October 3rd by members of the Geology/Geography
Departments of Eastern Illinois and Southern Illinois Universities. The
survey was conducted to locate and document any archaeological features that
might be present on the site - such things as outbuilding foundations,
cellars, wells, privies, etc. Legend and lore surrounding the Five
Mile House also indicates that there also may be graves located somewhere on
the site. A
GPS
grid map was established on the site and any survey findings will be
recorded on this map. Features found by the GPR could then be targeted for
future archaeological efforts.
The GPR machine was rented from a company in Canada and
was operated by Harvey Henson of SIU. The immediate results appear on the
screen mounted on the handle and look like a series of wavy lines.
Steven DiNaso and Vince Gutowski are shown in the upper
right photo. Below, Steven works with Harvey on the west section. One
pass over the survey areas was done with a 2 meter penetration and another
pass was made with a penetration of up to 4 meters. The shallower pass
allowed for greater sensitivity.
Lots of people came to see the process on Saturday.
Above left, Marcia White talks with FMH Committee member Joyce St. Michael
and Vince Gutowski. Above right, Pam and Jim Livesay talk to Harvey
Henson about how the GPR is done.
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