Looters robbing graves on Lake Marion

[kenb]

Looters robbing graves on Lake Marion

Posted: Dec 27, 2007 07:15 PM EST

Updated: Dec 31, 2007 07:28 PM EST

Looters taking artifacts from Lake Marion. Stewart Moore reports.

LAKE MARION, SC (WIS) - Severe drought conditions are exposing graves, artifacts and much more at Lake Marion.

Deputy Chief Duane Lewis says many are walking along the shores of Lake Marion, looking for an easy score. "They're looking for some type of artifact, jewelry, we don't know."

"We're going to prosecute anyone that we catch out here going through these unmarked graves."

With the drought drying up Lake Marion, graves are starting to be exposed everywhere you look. Over 1,000 graves were there back in the 1930's when the lake was first flooded.

Graves have been exposed and looters have gone in and stolen, but looters haven't stopped at stealing skulls and bones. Other items are being taken as well. Mollie Gore says, "People used to leave grave offerings on grave sites and it's likely we are seeing some of the remnants of that."

The message from law enforcement is clear. Deputy Chief Lewis says, "It is a crime to go into these graves and also pick up artifacts without the proper permit."

The big job now is making sure the exposed graves find new homes, and preparing for drought conditions to continue to unveil even more. Gore says, "When we say there's 1,000 graves out here, we're talking about the entire lake system. The more exposed land you have, the more exposed history you have."

For now, law enforcement will boost patrols to make sure the looting stops.

Reported by Stewart Moore

kenb

 

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[Kentucky Kache]

I agree that looting graves is wrong, but building a lake over them seems just as bad.

 

[LadyDigger]

So, am I reading this correctly....in the 1930's...they flooded the area of the graves to make a lake?....why didn't they move the bodies to a new cemetery? That ticks me off being a genealogist....that was HISTORY (per se)...they covered up!!! Those tombstones are most likely lost forever....I hope somewhere in the archives they have listed who was buried there.

But I don't feel those folks should be looting the graves either....just my opinion!

Like the Outer Banks...sand blowing everywhere and the OLDER cemeteries are being buried by nature....no one keeps them up anymore

That's why I'm gonna' be cremated...throw my ashes in the ocean and while you're metal detecting....I just may point you to the "lost treasures of the sea" 

Interesting story....thanks for posting.

 

[obyz21]

Lake Marion(114,000 acres) is one of two lakes that compromise the Santee Cooper lakes. The other is Lake Moultrie(63,000 acres).They are connected by a 7 mile long canal. The dams were closed in 1941. Before they were completed many families were moved and their property bought. During that time many families had their on graveyard. The families were asked to move their relatives in those gravesites. Many did not have the money or did not want to spend the money to relocate the graves, thus many gravesites were never identified. It is sad that some people resort to looting graves. Because of the looting of the graves the law enforcement agents are now writing huge tickets for anyone caught on the lake bed. Another example of a few bad apples spoiling it for the rest of us.

 

[greywolf]

When they buy up land for some government project they are supposed to move cemetarys and private graves..What dumb government goon made that decision to let them there If some folks did not have the money then the government body was responsable to see that they were properly taken care of.

 

[wreckdiver1715]

Looting graves is nothing new...
you just need a permit, Archeologist's do it all the time.

Tom

 

[obyz21]

I think that at this time WWII was beginning and they needed to close the dams so they could start producing electricity. They had finished clearing the trees in Lake Moultrie but had cleared very little trees in Lake Marion. The water depth in Lake Marion is mostly about 30 feet deep so there were plenty of trees sticking out of the water once the lake reached normal pool. By the way when they closed the dams on these two lakes an interesting thing happened. It produced the world's first naturally reproducing landlocked striped bass. So if you have any freshwater striped bass in your area it is likely they came from here.

 

[RON (PA)]

Grave robbers are absolutely the lowest of low. They are scum in my opinion.

 

[GreenMeanie]

Sure hope that lake isn't someones drinking water?

 

[WV Hillbilly]

Looting graves is nothing new...
you just need a permit, Archeologist's do it all the time.

Tom

Very true . Scum of the earth .

 

[Vrent]

they didn't move the graves when they flooded the lake?? wonder if they moved the headstones and told everyone they moved the graves too

 

[obyz21]

No, The headstones are there too. Also the lake is a drinking water supply.