Remonumentation Project

> Most surveyors are probably not aware that magnetic stations even exist, but the plan was to place one in every county through the United States.

You are correct...it is only through your posts that I have learned about them.

I don't recall ever seeing one, and I've been surveying in a 150 mile radius of New York City since 1969.

This one looked pretty easy compared to some you've posted. Great work....everyone involved in this restoration should be proud.

Nice!

Very nice work, as usual.

Mag Sta near Washington DC

I have accumulated a lot of old pictures related to surveying. Here's one supposedly of a mag sta near DC. I haven't found any information on its location. Any one out there have any idea where this is?

Dave

> I have accumulated a lot of old pictures related to surveying. Here's one supposedly of a mag sta near DC. I haven't found any information on its location. Any one out there have any idea where this is?

Nope, but do you know Chas Langelan? If anyone knows where it is, he does (if not he's liable to spend the next two years chasing it down).

Mag Sta near Washington DC

This one was listed in 1904.

Remonumentation Project>Meridian Stones

in ma we have Meridian Stones in each county, supposedly anyway. Here's a Pic of the the ones in Barnstable. There are actually two county, inter-visible, of course!

And the other;

And how we can find them!

Close up of one:

Remonumentation Project>Meridian Stones

That awesome. I sure enjoy all of your journeys and photo logs. Keep up the good work.

Of course I know Chas, but....

it looks as if JP has given me a good lead.

Thanks JP

I'll have to follow up with this information.

Cool project! Made me want to see where they were in my state. This book seems to list them all (free download):
MAGNETIC DECLINATION TABLES AND ISOGONIC CHARTS (Google eBook)

Maryland has a Maryland Geological Survey publication (MARYLAND GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 509) which documents the establishment of many of the meridians established in Maryland. I am not sure how far the project extended, but there is often obscure documentation around about thee markers. This publication used to be available on line but the link I had at Maryland Archives is no longer working.

Meridian markers for some reason seem to mystify surveyors and geocachers alike, yet there purpose was well documented and often established by state laws in the day of the compass survey, they were a pretty neat idea.

If you need any help let me know.

- jlw

from; http://www.history.noaa.gov/stories_tales/geodetic5.html

"U.S. Horizontal Datums

In 1879 the first national datum was established and identified as the New England datum. Station PRINCIPIO in Maryland, about midway between Maine and Georgia, the extent of the contiguous triangulation was selected as the initial point with its position and azimuth to TURKEY POINT determined from all available astronomic data, i.e. 56 determinations of latitude, 7 of longitude and 72 for azimuth.

Later its position was transferred to station MEADES RANCH in Kansas and the azimuth to WALDO by computation through the triangulation. The Clarke spheroid of 1866 was selected as the computational surface for the datum in 1880, replacing the Bessel spheroid of 1841 used after 1843. Prior to 1843, there is some evidence that the Walbeck 1819 spheroid was employed...."

meanwhile i will look up anything else i may find about mag sta dc

> Maryland has a Maryland Geological Survey publication (MARYLAND GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 509) which documents the establishment of many of the meridians established in Maryland. I am not sure how far the project extended, but there is often obscure documentation around about thee markers. This publication used to be available on line but the link I had at Maryland Archives is no longer working.
>
> Meridian markers for some reason seem to mystify surveyors and geocachers alike, yet there purpose was well documented and often established by state laws in the day of the compass survey, they were a pretty neat idea.
>
> If you need any help let me know.
>
> - jlw

This is one of the meridian stones in the courthouse square in Frederick, MD

Mag Sta near Washington DC

> This one was listed in 1904.
>
>

the ontario apts still stand, they are SE of the national zoo. the ape house, if it has not been relocated, is on a high spot, apparently intervisible with the ontaro finial.

still digging for more details...

Yes, you can still see ...

Ontario apartments on Google Earth and you can see the dome. Finding Bear pit will be useful - that is its location around 1900, boundary of Zoo that may be where the fence was, etc etc. I have been in touch with Chas and we'll probably make a little project out of this. Try to involve the DC city surveyor, Dave Doyle, etc.

Yes, you can still see ...

might be able to grab Don Falken as well. not sure if that is his thing

There isn't one listed for the county I'm now in, but I visited my home town over the past weekend and found the one there. Unfortunately neither of the building spires sighted from it now exist so I can't use it for practice.

I precalculated the position of the post from the data sheet coordinates of the former courthouse (intersection station) and guessed location of the church spire from Google Earth. A spot reading on my handheld GPS said I was 4.5 ft off line to the courthouse and well within the tolerance set by locating the former church.