Ft. Polk and its treasured heritage

Over the course of the past year 70 gravesites have been located with ground penetrating radar at Ft. Polk along with 27 cemeteries and home sites. You should read more about how this came about from The Leesville Daily Leader. The newspaper described the second annual Heritage Day celebration at Ft. Polk, Louisiana that took place on November 1, 2008. Can you imagine over 70 unmarked graves? The founding members of Heritage Day at Ft. Polk, Louisiana are hoping to provide monuments for the unmarked graves discovered by GPR. Additional information concerning this event can be read here URL.(November 7, 2008, Heritage Days helps families heal old hurts, by ZACH MORGAN on The Guardian.)

What is ground penetrating radar or GPR? According to the Saving Graves website, "Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) data is generated by the reflection of pulses of energy transmitted into the ground. The energy bounces off the buried features, and is detected with a receiving antenna. Each below-ground feature reflects this energy in its own unique way. Objects, and soils of different densities will generate detectable signals. By providing the user with the ability to “see” below the surface without disturbing anything, GPR is the ideal tool for locating sensitive features such as graves."

You may read about last years Heritage Day celebration on the Louisiana Genealogy Blog. More information about these Heritage Families can be found in this post, in addition to more links to stories, who to contact via email, phone numbers and organization contacts.

The Vernon Parish Library has a CD-ROM available with photographs of Vernon Parish cemeteries, according to their online catalog:


Vernon Parish Cemeteries [computer file] / Lewis Westfall.
Author: Westfall, Lewis.
Imprint:Leesville, La. : Westfall, 2005?
Physical Description:2 CD-ROMs, 4 3/4 in ; 4 3/4 in.Note:Photos of grave markers in Vernon Parish Cemeteries.
Content:Disc 1: A-L; Disc. 2: M-W.
Library
Shelf Location
Call Number
Item Status
Main Branch
CD-ROM
CD-ROM G La 976.361 Wes
Available
Main Branch
CD-ROM
CD-ROM G La 976.361 Wes v.2
Available
Main Branch
CD-ROM
CD-ROM G La 976.361 Wes v.1
Available