DAPHNE, Ala. — A little piece of history rests within Village Point Park Preserve — and more might await underground. University of South Alabama archaeologists searched D’Olive cemetery Friday for unmarked graves on the 1-acre parcel.

They will search for remains of slaves and transients near the D’Olive family graves.

Workers scanned the area with a ground penetrating radar, a lawn mower-shaped device that detects soil disturbances, James Irby, electrical engineer at the University of South Alabama, said. Utilities use the equipment to find underground gas lines, electrical wires or pipes, according to Irby. The device can penetrate concrete or asphalt; it can reach 50 feet deep.

But the device only does so much, according to Irby.

“You’ve got to know what you’re looking for or you’ll walk right over it,” he said.

An antenna on the machine drags across the ground and sends radio frequency beams into the soil, he said. Beam reflections feed into a computer and form an upside-down “U” on the screen. The shapes detect soil disturbances.

Irby seemed optimistic about the D’Olive endeavor, referring to past results.

“I’ve been to several cemeteries and had pretty good luck,” he said. “Once, the machine was able to pick up disturbances from a grave hole 130-something years ago.

“It even tells the depth to top of the reflection. I can tell within two to four inches how deep the target lies beneath the ground.”

The system cost $25,000; some models cost up to $800,000, he said. The units also are used in police homicide departments to locate remains, he said.

If archaeologists, during their time at Village Point, find the graves, they will ensure the site’s integrity is intact, Bonnie Gums, of USA’s archaeology department, said.

“It will help in making sure the cemetery is preserved forever, to prevent any construction or destruction,” she said.

Historians hope the archaoeligists’ search is eventful — namely, to prove that slaves and transients visited the site.

“It’s something we’d like to know,” Al Guarisco said.