It was from about 1792, but I no longer recall the exact date.?ÿ It is an old iron bar set in a square of bricks at the top of The Great Falls in Paterson, NJ.?ÿ The bar was one of the key points to control the raceways (canals) that took water from the Passaic River, dropped over a wheel, and after passing through the upper, middle and lower raceways, returned to the river.?ÿ The water powered the mills, first cotton, then silk, that were built along the raceways. There was also a marble block, a little larger than a standard brick, set in the face of a sandstone cliff behind the Colt revolver mill, but that was a little newer; probably early 1800's.?ÿ All part of The Society of Useful Manufacturers established by Alexander Hamilton.
I did this as part of a survey to create a park at the raceways.?ÿ We were following surveys from the 40's and 50's that were generally run on parallel offsets by Charlie Geiger, who did his comps in the fieldbook, in the field.?ÿ I worked on his stuff for about 4 years and I never found a mistake.?ÿ Tight stuff, considering the time.
Lots of history in that part of NJ.?ÿ
Ken
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In North America, 1840's GLO stones, a 1825 colonial state stone and a early 17th century Spanish Land Grant stone pile.?ÿ?ÿ
Back in my Upstate NY surveying days, I recovered remanence of an Oak Tree and a wagon axel referenced in a conveyance from the 1880's. Cell phones are often a pain in the ass but it would have been nice to have a camera in my pocket at all times to document these unique finds.
Station "Buttermilk" LX4113 set in 1833 by Ferdinand Hassler, the first director of the Cost Survey (appointed by Thomas Jefferson). It's near Pleasantville in Westchester County, NY.
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I don't know an exact year, most of this area of Illinois was surveyed about 1817 and were posts in a sod mound.?ÿ I have found stones, usually set by the county surveyors, maybe as old as the 1830's.
"i don't know" would be my answer, and "mid 19th century" would be the closest i could get.?ÿ this is a monument that delineates the common corner of 3 counties, the baby of the 3 being incorporated in 1848.?ÿ so it MAY be that old, though i suspect probably not.?ÿ otherwise it would be a pile of rocks at some patent corner, and i'm not sure i could even go back and figure out which patent and when it was granted.
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The PLSS surveys in Kansas were conducted between 1854 and 1876.?ÿ So, 1854 would be the limit for the oldest PLSS stones that could be encountered except those set on the western boundary of Missouri about 1820.?ÿ Stones marking Indian treaty lines prior to the PLSS work in Kansas would provide other opportunities for older stones to be found but those would not be as old as the Missouri boundary stones.
In my region the PLSS work was in the 1850's and 1860's with some treaty lines dating to the 1830's, I believe.?ÿ Have never found a stone (mile marker) on a treaty line and have not had a project on the Missouri border.?ÿ Had a call one time about doing one of the border but when they found out the cost would be more than $500 they quickly lost interest.?ÿ So, a stone from around 1855 is probably the oldest we have found.
