America Unearthed: Ancient Ruins Buried Beneath a Texas Town (S2, E3) | Full Episode | History

Scott Wolter, a forensic geologist, challenges conventional history by exploring the possibility of a hidden past in the United States. He's intrigued by the mysterious Rockwall in Texas, rumored to be an ancient construction. Wolter meets Adam, who has received numerous inquiries about the wall, and they discuss the wall's significance to the town and the need to investigate its origins.

Wolter and Adam examine a reassembled piece of the wall, noting its man-made appearance with possible tool marks and symmetry. They discuss the wall's depth and the local belief in an ancient civilization's involvement. Adam suggests a cover-up might have occurred, with excavations halted abruptly and experts retracting their findings. Wolter expresses a desire to see the wall firsthand and learns about a man named Kevin Richeson, who spent a significant amount on excavations.

Kevin Richeson shares his extensive investment in uncovering the wall's secrets, revealing his findings from an excavation reaching 42 feet deep. Despite setbacks like rain filling the excavation, Kevin remains dedicated to answering the age-old question of the wall's origin. He discusses the wall's potential size and the implications it could have on history if it's man-made. Wolter is adamant about seeing the wall and agrees to collaborate with Kevin for further exploration.

Wolter and Kevin plan the excavation, using a map from a previous dig to determine the best location to find the wall. They discuss the historical significance of the area, once home to the Caddo Indian tribe, and the possibility of the wall being much older. Wolter is eager to start digging and uncover the truth behind the Rockwall.

At the local history museum, Wolter learns about the wall's discovery in 1852 and the ongoing debate about its origin. Sheri Fowler, a museum representative, shares historical accounts, including a theory by Count Byron Khun de Prorok, who believed the wall was man-made by prehistoric men. The conversation also delves into a local legend about giants possibly being the wall's builders, an idea that Wolter finds intriguing despite its lack of concrete evidence.

Wolter conducts a scratch test and a chemical reaction test on the rocks from the wall, identifying them as relatively soft limestone, a material historically used in construction. He examines artifacts from Kevin's excavations, including a round stone formation and steps, which could suggest a man-made structure. With more questions than answers, Wolter is excited about the upcoming dig and the prospect of finding definitive evidence of the wall's origins.

During the excavation, Wolter discovers the wall's orientation aligns with the setting sun on the summer solstice, hinting at a possible archaeoastronomical significance. This alignment, if intentional, could indicate the wall was man-made by an ancient civilization. The team's excitement grows as they continue digging, hoping to uncover more evidence to support this theory.

Wolter and Kevin discuss the wall's potential connection to giants, based on the discovery of large step holds in a previously excavated section. While Wolter is skeptical, the idea of an ancient, large civilization contributing to the wall's construction is considered. The conversation highlights the various theories and the need for further investigation to determine the wall's true origin.

To settle the debate, Wolter and John Geissman, a professor, perform paleomagnetic testing on the wall. This scientific method measures the magnetism in rocks to determine if they are in their original position or have been moved. The results of this analysis will provide a definitive answer on whether the wall is a natural formation or a man-made structure.

The paleomagnetic analysis concludes that the Rockwall is a natural geologic feature, not man-made. The wall's uniform magnetization indicates that it has not been disturbed since its formation millions of years ago. The discovery, while not of an ancient civilization or giants, is still an extraordinary geological phenomenon that predates human existence and remains a point of pride for the town of Rockwall.