ray356•1mo ago

Found a burial mound in my backyard that the county never marked on any map

I was digging a post hole for a fence about 3 miles outside of Richmond last spring and hit something solid about 2 feet down. Pulled out a piece of broken pottery that looked way older than anything I'd ever seen. Called the local historical society and they sent a guy out who said it was definitely pre-colonial. Turns out the whole raised area behind my shed was a Native American burial mound that nobody had recorded in over 80 years. The guy told me they'd have to come back with a team if I kept finding stuff, so I just filled the hole back in and put the fence somewhere else. Felt weird knowing there's a whole history sitting right under people's lawns and nobody talks about it because they don't want the hassle. Has anyone else run into something like this on their own property?

4 comments

4 Comments

the_lee1mo ago

Have you thought about what happens if that mound gets officially recorded and suddenly your property taxes go up because it's now an "archaeological site"? I know a guy up in Spotsylvania who had that exact thing happen.

the_alice1mo ago

Start digging anywhere in Virginia and you'll hit history within a few feet. Honestly it makes you wonder how much stuff is just sitting there under parking lots and strip malls that nobody ever bothered to check. Tbh that's kind of the whole story of America right there, people building over everything and pretending the past isn't there.

parkerbrown1mo ago

Are you supposed to get a discount on your property taxes now that you're basically a cemetery caretaker? Seems like if the county wants you to keep it secret and leave it alone, they should at least throw you a bone on the tax bill. Otherwise I'd be tempted to put a "free parking" sign on it just to see who shows up with a backhoe.

quinncarr1mo ago

Yeah but what happens when someone accidentally digs up remains, do you just call it in or pretend you didn't see anything?