TerraSearch Geophysical, LLC

03/28/2026

We had a great time attending the Middle Atlantic Archaeological Conference in Gettysburg! We were part of some great conversations about how remote sensing techniques can be applied to archaeological projects with many of the attendees. TerraSearch Geophysical, LLC personnel, Dave Leslie, David M. Givens, Kurt Fredrickson, and Gabriel Brown also participated in a GPR workshop at the Grand Army of the Republic building in downtown Gettysburg (a previous early 19th century Methodist church with a small burial yard) with Luc Renaux of R. Christopher Goodwin & Associates, Inc., organized by Mandy Melton. Workshop participants learned how to set up a grid and collect data with a single channel antenna, as well as a RTK enabled multi-channel array. We also took some time to teach participants how to conduct digital photogrammetry of the rear portion of the GAR building. It was a busy three hours! Now on to the Society of American Archaeology meeting in San Francisco in April.

03/25/2026

Stop by this weekend (March 28th) at the Annual Friends of the Office of State Archaeology meeting, where TerraSearch Principal, David Leslie, will discuss some of the ongoing research that Heritage Consultants, Office of State Archaeology, Connecticut, and TerraSearch have been conducting at military sites in southern New England over the past few years!

Join the Friends of the Office of State Archaeology (FOSA) and OSA for FOSA’s annual meeting and lecture this Saturday March 28th at Farmington High School.

01/06/2026

Take a look at a recent podcast our Principal, David Leslie, participated in with Death, et seq. and Tanya D. Marsh (Episode 30). The podcast focused on historical cemeteries and how ground penetrating radar (and other remote sensing technologies) can be used to identify both marked and unmarked graves in these spaces. While you are there, you should also take a look at other episodes, which collectively presents a fascinating study of cemetery law, as well as historical and modern burial practices, among many other topics.

Death, et seq. A podcast about the relationship between the living and the dead. Professor Tanya D. Marsh of Wake Forest School of Law in Winston-Salem, NC Click here to read the article in The Cremationist magazine discussed in Episode 26 Wake Forest Law Review 2024 Symposium: The Future of Death C...

06/01/2025

The City of Richmond recently announced the results of geophysical work we conducted on their behalf at a property thought to preserve 19th century burials, including Confederate soldiers from a nearby Civil War era hospital. While none of the burials were marked, historical documentation indicated that the property most likely contained a municipal cemetery that was later used during the Civil War. The results of our survey, which was led by our Director of Geophysics, David Givens, and included the use of ground penetrating radar and thermal imagery, indicates that at least 742 individual are likely interred within the cemetery. We are honored to have been chosen by the City to assist with this important documentation survey.

The press release from the City can be found below, as well as a link to our geophysical report, which was also released by the City.

Press Release:
https://rva.gov/press-releases-and-announcements/news/city-releases-final-discovery-report-1857-manchester

Geophysical Report:
https://rva.gov/sites/default/files/2025-05/1857_Manchester_Cemetery_GPR_Report_Final_052325.pdf

05/08/2025

Take a look at this fantastic video by ArchaeologyX, featuring some ground penetrating radar and sediment coring work we participated in at the Barton Village Site, which contains a deeply buried Clovis component in Western Maryland. The work was truly multi-disciplinary, and featured a team of geoarchaeologists, archaeologists, and volunteers, led by the Terrestrial State Archaeologist of Maryland, Dr. Zachary Singer and Dr. Bob Wall of Towson University. The highlight of this research was the utilization of the PaleoDigger, invented by Brian Fritz, which allows archaeologists to investigate these deeply buried sites in a safe and efficient way. This work was also made possible by the incredible stewardship of The Archaeological Conservancy, who have been protecting the site for the past few decades. Take a look!

Support the Next Dig! Help fund our upcoming archaeological excavation at the Barton Site this September. Your donation will support fieldwork, student train...

10/30/2024

Interested in Ground Penetrating Radar and Archaeology? If so, tune in to the latest edition of Deeper Digs, co-hosted by the Society for American Archaeology and the Register of Professional Archaeologists, where TerraSearch Principal, David Leslie, will discuss these topics!

Click on the "Register" button next to an event. Choose the event you'd like to attend from the list. You'll sign in with your SAA username and password, or create an account if you don't already have one. Click on the "Register Myself" button and answer the prompts. Save your responses and proceed....

10/20/2024

We had a great time at the Council for Northeast Historical Archaeology's Annual Meeting in New Haven this year! The geophysical session really showcased the breadth of geophysical applications to archaeology including ground penetrating radar, metal detection, LiDAR, magnetometry, and more! All of the participants showcased important methodological approaches that can provide a wealth of data for historical archaeological sites, and of course cemeteries. Remember, you don't have to be a geophysical specialist, you just have to know one!

10/19/2024

We had a great time yesterday leading the CNEHA 2024 GPR workshop. Participants spent the day collecting field data in the New Haven Green, and the afternoon processing the data. We were able to successfully locate the foundations of the 19th century State House and several unmarked burials!

08/12/2024

It's GSSI Photo Contest Season! This year TerraSearch has submitted three entries, featuring Fiona Jones in "In the Shadow of the Whitfield House", Cole Peterson in "200 MHz Workhorse" and David Leslie and the team at Jamestown Rediscovery in "Waterborne Survey of the Pitch and Tar Swamp". To vote for one of our entries, or others that you see at the website, you have to create a login with GSSI. It looks like there will be stiff competition in contest this year!

https://www.geophysical.com/gssi-photo-contest

07/04/2024

Take a look at some of our recent work with the City of West Haven, to identify the final resting place of Adjutant William Campbell, a Scotsman who led an attack on New Haven on July 5th, 1779, but has been (and still is) commemorated by the Town of West Haven as an unlikely American war "hero". You can read more about this ongoing survey at our website.

Happy Independence Day!

https://terrasearchgeo.com/posts/terrasearch-assits-city-of-west-haven-in-search-for-grave-of-british

06/02/2024

Interested in geophysical applications to archaeology? If so, take a read through this article at Connecticut Explored, where Principal David Leslie outlines the numerous contributions ground penetrating radar and other geophysical techniques have made to the identification, preservation, and excavation of archaeological sites in Connecticut!

https://www.ctexplored.org/ground-penetrating-radar/