07/28/08

The first time that I used dowsing in research was a bit by chance.  I have worked several years in archaeology and one of the research tools is ground penetrating radar (GPR).  On an occasion when we were doing GPR at several sites in the area, I decided to try my dowsing rod in the area being scanned.  I found two distinct right angles in the ground where the quest was for a building that had been razed in the 18^th century.  At the time nothing much was made of the finding.  GPR is only about 15% effective for several reasons, and in the case of looking for this particular building, the results of the GPR scan came back with nothing.  The archaeology site leader then asked me to do my scan again.  That site was on an old cemetery in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Go to the list below to link with that story.

The next use of the dowsing rod was at a mill in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.  This use resulted in the finding of a buried tail race at the mill. Go to the list below to link with that story.

The next research involved the site of a log building that is now marked with a large monument. This site is situated in Bucks County Pennsylvania.  This use of the rod resulted in locating the outline of the log structure around the base of the monument prompting an archaeology survey of the site. Go to the list below to link with that story.

The next scan was done at another foundation that is believed to be the foundation of a log structure that was possibly an important historic workshop.  In this case there was evidence on the surface of the ground that something had been there and after archaeology uncovered some to the site, a  scan with the dowsing rod outlined the entire foundation line.  Go to the list below to link with more on this story.

The next case involves one of Washington’s Headquarters in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.  This site has been part of an archaeology program since 1997.  In the early years, the archaeology uncovered the corner of a brick structure that was assumed to be a building which was 8 feet on each side, and used as slave quarters in colonial times.  I was asked to scan this particular area, by a curious associate.  I found that the outline was 12 feet by 25 feet and consisted of two rectangles, one four inches within the other.  Go to the list below to link with the full story of this site.

I had the opportunity to answer a call at the historic Rittenhouse Town on Lincoln Drive in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  There was a need to locate a septic tank near one of the buildings.  I went to the site and was successful in locating what appeared to be the sewer line with an underground tank at the end.

Yet another case involved my grandmother’s monument.  I had found a few years ago that her grave was not marked in a Quaker graveyard.  I had planned for a while to put a marker there.  Not being sure of the site. I scanned the area in question and found the outline of her grave.  Go to the list below to link with more on this story.

On visiting a Quaker school site, I was urged to scan for the log and stone meeting houses that once stood on the site.  Lines were found that could represent the meeting, the carriage house, the connecting walkways and the carriageway to the Meetinghouse Road.  Go to the list below for the rest of the story.

The stories for the sites covered on this page are listed below, click on your choice.

•       The Cemetery

•       The Mill

•      The Log Structure at the Monument

•       The Log Workshop

•       Washington’s Headquarters

•    Rittenhouse Town

•       Grandmother’s Grave

•    Quaker Meeting

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This site was last updated 07/28/08