This topic contains 3 replies, has 2 voices, and was last updated by 
Astro_D 15 years, 2 months ago.
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I’ve located where a stone benchmark is supposed to be, but I have no idea what I’m actually looking for. It was monumented in 1872 and has not been recovered since. All I seem to find pictures of online are the flat stones with B.M. carved into them. Here’s the one I’m looking at: PN0954
Here’s an exerpt:GEODETIC POINT IS MARKED BY A STONE OF THE USUAL FORM, SET SO THAT ITS UPPER END IS ABOUT 3 FEET BELOW THE GROUND SURFACE. A SECOND STONE, RISING 4 TO 6 INCHES ABOVE GROUND, IS SET DIRECTLY OVER THE LATTER.
What size can I expect these stones to be? Are they round, square or some other shape? Will it have B.M. carved into it? So many unknowns right now. Please help!
I’m not sure. We’ve yet to find any of these still around. We’ve looked for a few, but the locations now put them under a buch of bay gunk on private property. At least the land owners were willing to let us wander around in our quest.
One description I have states that “stations were usually marked by heavy stone posts until about 1900 when concrete mouments replaced them. Stone posts (Marble, sandstone, and limestone) 2-3 feet in length and for sub-surface marks the same type of posts, bottles, earthenware jugs and crocks were commonly used. In some instances bolts and nails cemented in drill holes, simple drill holes cross cuts or any conceivable mark in any combination with these station markings were often employed”.
Doesn’t say much. Maybe the GC.com benchmark forums would be able to assist. There are tons of real good BM hunters there that know all types of info.
This was the only response I got over there so far:
I would expect the stones to be square and about 6 inches X 6 inches with either a chiseled square/mark or a drill hole in the top.
I like yours better. Nice and vague 🙄
Well, I guess we’ll get a definitive answer when we actually recover one! LOL
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