DNR investigating vandalism at Indian Mounds site

SUMTER, S.C. (AP) — The Department of Natural Resources is investigating vandalism at an Indian mound in Manchester State Forest southwest of Sumter.

The Sumter Item reported Thursday (http://bit.ly/zIm8UO ) that officials discovered that someone dug into a mound behind a fenced-in portion of the forest.

State Forestry Commission spokesman Scott Hawkins says the mounds are behind locked gates and not viewable on forest maps in order to protect them. He says they have turned the investigation over to the Natural Resources Department.

State Archeologist Jonathan Leader of University of South Carolina says the mounds are very important historical markers. He said the mounds were used by many Native American groups for rituals, burials, temples or dwellings and the damage hampers a better understanding of that culture.

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Information from: The Item, http://www.theitem.com