in the footsteps of the original surveyor when he left nothing behind?
Here is a map of a subdivision done in 1913.
It makes no mention of pins set, no angles, and plus or minus distances.
No 'original' monuments called for.
Basically its lines on a piece of paper.
So where would you begin?
We are surveying the pinkish lots...
Joe,
Run into it almost everyday.
Find what you find, check the deeds, pray for the best.
If I don't run into a plan like that at least once a week, then it is a good week.
Jim in NH
Is this something out of the ordinary for you? Anything before about 1980 would be like that for me. Especially old town site surveys say before 1900. Most land descriptions are devoid of any monument calls also. Doesn't mean there isn't evidence in reality though. The land isn't occupied without visible manifestation of boundaries and improvements.
> So where would you begin?
>
Research all the deeds
Talk to all the owners in the subdivision.
Locate use lines along the street to establish the Right of way.
Locate many of the use lines within the block to see where the subdivision was laid out on the ground.
> So where would you begin?
With a comparison of the deed for the property to the west to the parent tract of the subdivision lots. Trace it back to find out more about the long line from New Haven Road.
Looks like a pretty typical plat for older parts of the town where I live.
Quit your whining; the plat (from 1924) for the street I live on has the same lack of any data but with curves, circles, and apparent radial lines thrown in for good measure. 😉
1920s Subdivision Plats in Sacramento have numbers on them to the nearest hundredth that often don't make sense (like adding everything up using simple arithmetic assuming everything is 90 when it is obvious on the Plat and from the bearings that there are several degrees out of squareness there) but the Plat is pretty with curved streets, etc.
Prior to the 1920s most Plats are diagrams like Joe's.
Yep - I run in to that every too
The surprising thing is that anyone from the NY/NJ/CT area would find this situation unusual.
We see this all the time. And of course the deed descriptions read ".....to a point". What's a "point"????
But, for starters, certainly someone has been in there surveying since 1913.
I'm sure you already know this, but a metal detector and a shovel to start, then a trip to the local building department to see what's on file there.
Joe-
1] intent (and not where you are seeking shelter when camping !)
2] occupation evaluation
3] check with other surveyors & municipality
4] bar finder and shovel
5] any ground matches to scale of plan ?
Wait till you get a camp ground of original "Tenting Areas" that become cottage lots that were laid out by well meaning persons with pencil and paper and a ruler (that has no hope of having anything square such as you are lucky to have) and then when the new cottager's dog kills a long time owner's dog "THE Boundary" needs to be found so it can be shown that there was trespass !
'T'was fun !
Cheers
Derek
lol... just trying to have a lil' fun on a rainy friday.
I know lots of people across the country run into the same thing.
I loved the GIS comment, that was funny..
This is quite common where we survey. You locate everything that is there and do the best that you can. Sometimes in some of the old towns the buildings and fences are the only thing that are there. If you are really lucky someone else has done some work in the block which may or may not help. Sometimes it just makes things worse. Good luck.
Consider yourself lucky. You at least have a "map/plat" to start from. Several towns in this county don't even have that much.
whew.....glad to hear it was a hoax! that's all i'll say.....
Surveyorchick - WELCOME
I see this is your 1st post
If you are new here - Welcome aboard
Run into this all the time. Make sure there are no layouts on either roads(usually aren't). Metal detector all corners for others ideas. Lines of occupation, place two stakes at the front of the occupation, have abutters agree. Set bounds, record with registry, let others call you wrong. You are the "original" Surveyor. CE's from the 50's didn't care. 🙂
Welcome! What part of good ol West by God are ya from?
I have a dry sense of humor...
I say shoot in the centerline of the street. Give the city it's ROW and then rubbersheet it to fit in between to imagery of the site you have with CAD overlay. THEN call it Good Implied Surveying (GIS).