Maybe someone here can help my family solve this mystery. On my families 40 acre property, there is a field probably 3 maybe 4 acres in the center of it that isn’t growing anything but grass. It is surrounded by hardwoods. I thought for sure over the years sweet gums would have overcome it but it’s still a field. Important to note that nobody has ever done any planting there at all and it never gets driven on. It’s just really baffled us over the years and somehow the subject came up again tonight at supper. Any ideas?
OT: Property mystery
- Thread starter Wizard.sixpack
- Start date
Do you notice any green slimy looking substance in this open area? Does the grass grow in circles?
But seriously, have you dug down about 5 or 6 feet below the surface to make sure this is not an old cemetery?
Maybe call the county or gov office in your area to see if they can do some soil samples and run gpr to see what you got underneath the surface.
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it could be multiple things. Take a couple pics of it on google earth, zoomed down. Let me take a look and give it some basic spatial analysis. You can send me private if you like.
What else can u tell us about this 40 acres? Creek run through it? Heavy concentration of sand or gravel in the area?
Is the anomaly a high spot or low spot?
Any elevation change in said void?
If you're in south MS, it’s a high probability that the grass your describing is the invasive species cogongrass. It chokes out all other plants (including small trees)(equivalent of having kudzu). Cogongrass started in the Mobile Bay Area a long time ago and has been steadily spreading. If that’s what it is, there are cost share programs with USDA/NRCS/etc. to control it.
That looks man made from the 1700s. Any of your ancestors members of the Knight Templar?
Got coordinates for the area? I can take a look at some maps I have with some spatial software I have and check it out. Still think soil samples and gpr could tell you a lot more to the localized place.
It’s low area. It’s surrounded by pretty swampy area. Especially towards the highway side. And there are MANY palmettos in area surrounding it
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I would but my dad is kind of sensitive about giving out coordinates of his land. I know there is no harm in doing it but I am respecting his wish. I guess getting some soil samples might be a good start
You forgot Knights of the Golden Circle...more plausible than the ones you listed.
Looks to be full of rocks and sand. Indians called those places Kickapounda
Pirates have been known to stake their claim on them and fill them with riches
Pirates have been known to stake their claim on them and fill them with riches
I know of several places like this in North Ms and the soil is very alkaline. If you dig down there is an abundance of prehistoric shells and petrified shark teeth. Strangely it's not in the river bottom but it's along a ridge above the river bottom.
Send soil samples in like others said, but there is about 20 acres in starkville that struggles growing a football product, it may be systemic.
Oh. Well, good luck. I’ve heard terrible stories of the dreaded “map” monster. Bless his heart.
About halfway up Monte Sano in Huntsville (1000 feet or more in elevation) shark teeth can be found, which presumably means this area (along with North Mississippi like you mentioned) was once under water. Whether the sea levels were higher or continental drift is the reason, I don't know. Kinda cool regardless. There's also a lot of limestone around here, which is a sedimentary rock and generally comes from marine animals. We probably have a geologist or archaeologist on the board that knows the details.
If we’re gonna get technical here, a football field is only about 1 acre. Just saying.
