This early burial practice of using packed soil sides and wood planks covering over the coffin, thus creating a vault of sorts, may have been a common practice. This is our first report though, submitted by Robert McGinnis of Knoxville Tennessee.

According to Mr. McGinnis, the planks could run lengthways with the coffin, or could run crossways. In any case, the planks would greatly slow the deterioration of the coffin and the sinking of the soil fill above the planks.