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Discovery of the Byrd Family Cemetery at Endless Caverns
About
Endless Caverns is a 31.2-megawatt (MW) utility-scale solar project located in Rockingham County, Virginia. The project construction has been conducted in two phases referred to as Endless Caverns North and Endless Caverns South. The projects were approved by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) through the Small Renewable Energy Project (Solar) Permit-by-Rule (PBR) process in March of 2023 after consultation with the Department of Historic Resources (DHR), the Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR), and the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR).
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As a PBR requirement, Endless Caverns North and South completed an analysis of the expected beneficial and adverse impacts of each project to natural and historic resources. A preconstruction historic resource analysis discovered a portion of the proposed solar projects would impact agricultural fields associated with the Cloverdale farmstead. Cloverdale was determined to be "potentially eligible" under 36 CFR Part 60.4 (Criteria for evaluation). Further research revealed that previous owners of the Cloverdale farmstead, the Byrd family, were prominent residents of the local area in the 18th century. To mitigate for proposed impacts, DHR agreed to the development of a through historical context on the Byrd family.
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The project team discovered that members of the Byrd family were potentially buried nearby at an unknown location. Continue reading for the Discovery of the Cemetery through Cultural Resource Surveys.
Site boundary of the Endless Caverns North and South.
Discovery of the Cemetery through Cultural Resources Surveys
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Photograph of the Cloverdale house, built on property sold by Abraham Byrd in 1830.
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During preliminary research on Andrew Byrd, the patriarch of the family, it was discovered that Andrew and other family members were buried in the Byrd Family Cemetery located on the west side of Smith’s Creek and the south side of State Route 794. The grave markers are no longer present and the exact location of the cemetery was unknown.
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Consultations were held with DHR representatives regarding a plan to identify the location of this unmarked cemetery. It was determined that the mitigation would include coordinating with local historical societies and/or museums and the development of a historical context on the Byrd family.
The Byrd family home, established circa 1750. It is now in dilapidated condition.
The Byrd Family
The Byrd family was one of the earliest to settle in the Smith Creek area in the eighteenth century. They served in a variety of military and civic positions and contributed to the local economy with their mills, mines, and livestock. In the 1960s, the Massanutten Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) began an effort to document cemeteries east of State Route 11. They recorded 11 graves at the Byrd Family Cemetery, including Andrew Byrd, Sr., who died in 1749 and extending up to Michael O’Roark, a neighbor, who died in 1853. Eyewitnesses reported that the gravestones had been removed and the cemetery had been plowed over in the last several decades.
Photograph showing gravestone, date unknown (findagrave.com).
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Survey Methods
Survey Method #1- Cadaver Dogs
Consultations were held with Virginia Department of Historic Resources representatives regarding a plan for efforts to identify the unmarked cemetery. This plan had two stages. The Stage 1 survey methodology was to use cadaver dogs in an effort to more precisely identify the cemetery location. Stage 2 survey methodology was the use of GPR in an effort to confirm the presence and locations of graves. Each stage is discussed below:
Although a relatively recent addition to the archaeological toolkit, the use of dogs to identify the presence of unmarked graves and abandoned cemeteries is being used with more frequency with good results. This noninvasive remote sensing technique is particularly successful when used in conjunction with more standard noninvasive techniques such as Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR).
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How It Works
The decomposition process begins immediately upon death. This process releases a variety of volatile compounds that, once the corpse is buried, seep into the bones and surrounding sediment. Dogs can smell from 10,000 to 100,000 times better than humans. They are able to identify low-molecular-weight compounds or volatile organic compounds, such as those given off by fatty acids in adipocere, which is a byproduct of decomposition. They can also identify esters which are present in animal fat that are unique to humans during decomposition.
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Seamus, a yellow Labrador retriever, has been trained since he was a puppy utilizing various human samples, including human bone. When he identified the scent of human remains, he alerted. Seamus alerted at seven locations within an area measuring 12 by 20 meters.
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Ms. Kathleen Connor, DVM, with Blue and Gray Search and Rescue Dogs in Dayton, Virginia, and her search and rescue and human remains detection dog, Seamus, was contracted to explore the inferred location of the Byrd Family Cemetery. Ms. Connor has over 20 years of experience as a Search and Rescue dog handler. She is a member of the American Rescue Dog Association (ARDA), the National Association for Search and Rescue (NASAR), and the Commonwealth of Virginia Search and Rescue Council (VASARCO).
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Additional Reading
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Survey Method #2 - GPR
This survey was conducted by GeoSearches, a company experienced with geophysical investigations, including location of historic cemeteries and graves. A Noggin 250 MHz system was used. With GPR, a high-frequency radar pulse is directed into the ground from an antenna. The signal is then reflected back to the receiver. Subsurface objects, soil compaction, and stratigraphic variations will create specific signatures. These anomalies appear as breaks or waves in the radar signature. The time needed for the pulse to return to the receiver indicates the depth of the anomaly. Preliminary results in the field identified eight anomalies in proximity to the locations of the dog alerts. Following post-processing and analysis, anomalies representing between 11 and 12 graves were defined in an area measuring approximately 92 by 70 feet.
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GPR transects being conducted
Outcome
Aerial of ongoing construction with cemetery mitigation.
As a result of these efforts, the Byrd Family Cemetery has been formally recorded as archaeological site 44RM0558. DHR concurred with the cemetery delineation efforts and proposed buffers ranging from 25 to 100 feet. The cemetery and buffers were established prior to construction. In addition, the area has been fenced with high visibility symbolic fencing as shown in the aerial photograph.
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This area will remain demarcated and closed to all vehicular entry and will be maintained in its original land use and condition, with no ground disturbing activity undertaken for the life of the projects.​
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This cemetery was potentially lost but was rediscovered through the PBR process for Endless Caverns. Endless Caverns Solar will ensure it will now be protected from disturbance.
Additionally, this cultural resource study provides further insight into how cadaver dogs and GPR can be useful in identifying and recovering lost grave sites.
Photograph of Mr. Andrew Byrd, Sr. He was the patriarch of the Byrd Family.
Additional Information
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Shenandoah County Library System