S.C. State Archaeologist Jonathan Leader makes a test run part of the Randolph Cemetery with his Mala ground penetrating radar to find forgotten burial places. On a crisp April morning a group of about ten volunteers gathered near the entrance of Randolph Cemetery to meet S.C. State Archaeologist Jonathan Leader. They turned out in gloves and hats to assist Leader in a test run to find unmarked graves in grassy patches scattered throughout the five- acre cemetery.

He and his Mala ground penetrating radar (GPR) sled were invited by the cemetery, Downtown Columbia Cemetery Task Force, and the Historic Columbia Foundation to find these long- forgotten burial places. The sled used radar pulses to create a picture of the subsurface of the cemetery.

"It is supposed to create an image if it picks up on anything metallic like a casket or handles on a casket," Randolph Cemetery's preservation administrator Keilah Spann said. "Today is a test run to see if a more complete search can be done in the future."

The main goal is to identify as many unmarked graves as possible to provide accurate interpretive signage so visitors can eventually do self- guided tours of the 1871 cemetery. Leader began the process by assigning several volunteers to mark off rows where he would guide his GPR.

"I took the day off work to do this," software engineer and amateur archeologist David Brinkman said.

Once the lines were marked and all volunteers were in place, Leader pushed the machine, which resembles a fancy lawn mower, down the first row. He had barely glided a few feet when the GPR detected an "anomaly." Distinct patterns on the radar display screen indicated that something, perhaps a coffin, lay about six feet below the surface.

John Sylvest used a plastic tent pole topped with an orange flag to mark the spot. "I really wanted this opportunity to see how GPR works," said Sylvest, who works for the State Historic Preservation Office. GPR has many other uses beyond cemetery exploration. Engineers use the technology to test the integrity of structures while the military can use it to detect mines and tunnels.

Not far from the first anomaly, Leader found another cluster of promising spots that may indicate a family plot. But Leader was reluctant to declare it a grave.

"You can't know for sure unless you dig down and actually discover bones," he said.

Leader has not released his findings to Spann yet, but the initial results were promising. The project to do all the areas of the cemetery is currently out to bid for contractors.

"I think it did work very well," Spann said. "Our goal is to put a moratorium on burials here. It's a very old cemetery without a lot of space. We want people to see it as a cultural heritage resource and not a cemetery that's open for burial."