We all have a choice about where we shop, and now practically everything is available on the Internet. Some of the merchants of Oxford Exchange should be concerned about their business. Destroying ancient burial grounds doesn't exactly build community good will.

According to Jacksonville State archaeology and anthropology professor Harry Holstein, the large mound behind the Oxford Exchange is at least 1,500 years old. It was a possible burial site for the native Creek Indians. The Alabama Historical Commission reports that the Woodland-era mound is the largest of its type in the state.

If we treasured our heritage as we should, we could have made a wooded park and educational center in this place. People of all faiths could have taken a walk there on sacred ground for spiritual renewal. Oxford would have been known for something more than just a place to shop.

We have lost plenty of our historical treasures to neglect and arson. But this beats all. We're losing this one to willful ignorance and greed. Shame on you, Mayor Leon Smith. Shame on us, people of Calhoun County, for allowing this to happen.

Susan Di Biase
Jacksonville