A Monumented Benchmark, literally

[+LSUFan]

Howdy Everyone. I thought ya might enjoy this benchmark I went to Saturday. There is a stone monument placed at the Louisiana/Arkansas line. It is a pretty ornate monument, with benchmark disk DL1327 set in it. The monument was built in 1931, but I'm not sure if the benchmark was placed during construction or afterwards since it has a 1952 monumented date in the NGS database. I am kinda leaning that it was placed during construction, since the latitude and longitude are actually inscribed into the stone monument on the LA side. The official datasheet says the disk is stamped 271, but all I saw was the elevation of 270.952 stamped on it. I guess they just rounded up. Anybody got an idea on that? Would that be worth pointing out in a recovery report, especially since it hasn't had one in 57 years.

 

The funny thing is, as we were wondering more about the history of this dividing line monument, our local newspaper did an article on it today. I wonder if that was fate.

 

Evidently the monument has been defaced, but was cleaned up somewhat from when we took our pics Saturday, and from when the newspaper took theirs. I am glad to see someone take an interest in it. Here are some pics.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The newspaper article on the monument:

 

http://www.thenewsstar.com/article/2009083...ONTPAGECAROUSEL

Edited August 31, 2009 by LSUFan

[+frex3wv]

LSUF:

 

Sweet find! Congrats Congrats on a unique one!

 

As for the rounding up - my input is - yup!

 

I have seen this many a time on USGS sheets I have.

 

Thanks for sharing this with us.

[+Ashallond]

Very nice. I was at the OK/MO/KS boundary markers on Sunday. haven't made it to the AR/MO/OK one yet...and I haven't went hunting for the AR/OK monument not that far away from where I live because it's fairly hard to get to from what I can tell.

 

That one's actually quite nice.

[+GEO*Trailblazer 1]

Very nice. I was at the OK/MO/KS boundary markers on Sunday. haven't made it to the AR/MO/OK one yet...and I haven't went hunting for the AR/OK monument not that far away from where I live because it's fairly hard to get to from what I can tell.

 

That one's actually quite nice.

 

Not as hard as you might think.

Let's plan a trip over.

[+LSUFan]

I was reading the newspaper this morning, and there was a story (below) that said the State of LA has appropriated funds to restore this monument (and it's corresponding benchmark). However, it states they plan to put a fence around the monument, so that may make it harder to get to the benchmark in the step of the monument.

 

For most of its 78 years among the secluded woods of Union Parish, a monument belonging to Louisiana and Arkansas has stood on the states' borderline and in a limbo of mutual neglect.

 

In the coming months, Louisiana state officials have plans to restore the memorial long lost to memory.

 

State Sen. Mike Walsworth, R-West Monroe, recently announced the Office of State Parks will dedicate around $10,000 to renovate the Dual State monument, a 10-foot-long stone memorial on Monument Road, about one mile northwest of Oakland.

 

In 1931, George Washington Donaghey, a former Arkansas governor born in Louisiana, donated the borderlands of his childhood home to be used as a park to show his kinship to both states. He imagined a 49-acre park on the Louisiana-Arkansas state line, commemorating a 100-year anniversary of the drawing of their borders. Of the former governor's plans, only a 10-foot-long stone monument that straddles Louisiana and Arkansas remains.

 

Donaghey's ambitions are reflected in the sides of the stone, which bear intricate bas-relief carvings depicting the modes of transportation in 1831 and 1931 and include a reference to Huey P. Long, whom Donaghey admired for his education reforms. The Arkansas Historic Preservation Program cites the monument as one of the first examples of Art Deco in the state.

 

The memorial was rediscovered in 1975 when state Rep. Louise Johnson introduced an act to cede part of the property to the state parks system. Edwin Edwards, governor at the time, signed the act and held a rededication ceremony at the site.

 

Since that time, chunks of the monument have been lost. Vandals have spray-painted over Donaghey's inscriptions of progress and interstate fellowship.

 

Walsworth said around $10,000 has been set aside to power wash and grind out the graffitti and to repair the cracks in the granite, slate and inscription.

 

"We might need to repair the concrete around the monument," Walsworth said. "Then at the end, we're going to put some type of water proofer to seal it, and the last thing is to put a wrought iron fence around it."

 

"Its at the state line, in the middle of east and west," Walsworth said. "It's a rarity, especially in a rural part of northeastern Louisiana to see such a beautiful monument."

 

James Dispenza, a Farmerville resident who has tried to raise interest in repairing the monument, said the announcement by the senator and state parks came as welcome news.

 

"It's been too long for a monument like that to be whittled away in time," Dispenza said. "I know I'd love to see it redone and have it rededicated on its birthday, which would be coming up in July."

 

With the repair contract already awarded and work expected to finish in 30 to 60 days, Johnson said the office of state parks hopes to do just that

[kayakbird]

Thanks for updating a neat story. I'll be looking for the next chapter. MEL

[+LSUFan]

I was back in the area of this benchmark/monument yesterday and decided to see if LA had done anything yet.....according to the previous posts.

 

Imagine my surprise, when I saw it. As you can tell form the pics, they have cleaned it and put a fence around it. Kudos to Louisiana for helping preserve this for future generations. I think they did a great job. It looks new.

 

 

 

Edited April 12, 2010 by LSUFan

[southpawaz]

Thanks for the update and photos. You're right, it looks great!