For eleven years I’ve been passing a burial mound on the south side of 32 and just as you
enter into Daleville headed west. For all of those eleven years I swore I’d stop, take a
picture and investigate who or what was buried there. It became the subject of
conversation and research on the part of several of us but no one seemed to know what it
was. It’s a rather sizable mound so some of us even speculated it might be the burial of
a beloved horse or something. Well, the other night I finally did it and have several
nasty chigger bites to prove it.
I stopped at the house nearest this mound and on the west side to inquire. The gentleman
there said it belonged to the man on the other side of the mound and, as far as he knew,
there was nothing buried there. I asked if the other man was friendly and was encouraged
to go talk to them. They were just getting out of their car when I pulled up to their
house and assured them I wasn’t crazy (or am I?) and was curious about the mound. After
explaining that it had been speculated on for a number of years he began laughing at me.
Seems that when the bridge down the road was replaced loads of dirt were being hauled
away. He wanted to level out a section of his property so asked if they’d drop off a load
or two there, which they did. Later, he moved a number of large stones from a drainage
area and placed them at the base of the mound of dirt. Somehow he never got around to
leveling the ground the dirt was intended to but noticed it did look a bit like a mound so
he stuck a cross in it ...just a little humor.
I almost hated telling you there’s no one buried there. Researching this mound has been
good “exercise” for some of us.
Shirley Pearson
PS If you don’t know what I’m talking about let me know and I can send a photo of said
“burial mound”.