I came across what I think may be a boundary corner that I’ve been looking for for a cemetery survey. The abutters’ deed and plan, as well as the deed for that portion of the cemetery calls for a stone bound at the location where I found this solid square block. It’s smooth on the top, about 6” x 6”. I dug down a foot on all sides and it’s in there. IMO someone obviously set this. The only thing that is making me question it is that it has a straight line across the top of it. The line is about 2 inches from the center of the stone.
The bound at this location was set in 1888. Has anyone come across anything like this? The groove in the bound would be deep enough to hook on too, perhaps they could hook a chain to it back in the day?
Can you upload a picture? What state is this in? It'd be good to see what you're calling a straight line or groove that could be hooked onto. Without a picture, I'm just guessing that the groove is related to the way granite was quarried and split via feather and wedge. I can't imagine not holding the stone bound you described unless you have strong evidence against it. In Maine and NH, I was ecstatic at finding any set monuments around cemeteries, let alone one that matched a measurement of record. Great find.
Here it is. The site wouldn’t allow me to post it before the thread was approved. South is the top of this picture. The cemetery is to the south of the bound.
I can only think of one way to answer the question. yep
Is there a rebar and cap 2 feet away?
@gary_g I didn’t see any rebar with a cap no. I poked around with a pin probably 5’ around where I found the stone in the photo.
What would be the significance of the rebar? Another surveyor marking where to look for the bound?
@gary_g I didn’t see any rebar with a cap no. I poked around with a pin probably 5’ around where I found the stone in the photo.
What would be the significance of the rebar? Another surveyor marking where to look for the bound?
Made that statement in jest. Too many time I found an old pipe or buried stone and 2 feet away is a rebar and cap set by a surveyor who held the math and did not bother to look.
Gotcha. Yeah there is way too much of that unfortunately.
There’s a property corner on another lot across town that I was staking the town right of way for last year. Two different PLS put pins down a foot away from each other. I dug around the area and found the original corner down 7 inches into the ground.
I'm looking forward to your follow up on how this stone works with the property boundaries and adjoiners.
My next step is to look around where the next bound is supposedly set to see if I find the same stone. Keeping my fingers crossed.
@tony it appears to be granite stone and called for. If it fits where or close to where it should be, it should be honored as an original corner, especially since your measurements got you to it.
About 35 years ago I worked side jobs with my licensed PC ad he had a contract with the Catholic church to do the survey work for all of their cemeteries in South Jersey. It was pretty normal to come across markers like this sticking up at the corners of grave plots so I'm thinking that the surveyor who set this corner used available cemetery supplies like the plot corner markers as the corner stones. It looks very much like what I have seen at plot corners, only they usually stick up above grade a few inches.
Just to close the loop on this, I searched for the other two stones that were supposed to be along the boundary line, and they were not there.
So I tapped into some institutional knowledge. The cemetery was expanded in 1984. Those stone bounds were located in 1978 and noted on the construction plan, so I know that they existed. So I called a retired dpw that I used to work with that told me that the dpw foreman at the time ripped those other two stones right out. It was town land on both sides so no one cared. They kept the one that I found as the elevation benchmark.
Thanks to everyone here for your responses!
I believe you do have a stone bound. Residing in the "Granite Capital of the world", I've seen a few granite monuments (aka "cut stones") used for corners. That groove appears to be a drill hole from the quarrying process. I've always wondered how they got those cut stones way out in the middle of nowhere. More common are rock(granite mostly) corners, very roughly shaped, usually with an X chiseled on the top. Really old ones or those made from softer stone resemble an elbow sticking up out of the ground.
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