+jeff35080 Posted January 24, 2003 Share Posted January 24, 2003 I have found quite a few old benchmarks along with their associated witness post signs but I have yet to recover one that is listed as being marked with a white wooden witness post. I appears that those with these wooden posts were placed here in the 30's. I know that most likely the wood has been reclaimed by nature, but I'm curious if anyone has a picture of what one of these old white wooden witness posts looks like? I am picturing in my mind a 4" X 4" post.... am I right? Jeff http://www.StarsFellOnAlabama.com http://www.NotAChance.com If you hide it, they will come.... Quote Link to comment
Z15 Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 I don't have a photo of them that I can fin. They started using them in the late 40's. I have found a number of the posta over the years that were placed in 1948. The are 4" Sq about 2 ft high set in concrete. The are painted white with the letters U S B M stenciled on one side from top to bottom. Most of them though have rotted away with time, the one in found were all under heavy tree cover. I found a mint looking one and I gave it to a fellow surveyor for his private museum collection of survey marks. Quote Link to comment
+jeff35080 Posted January 25, 2003 Author Share Posted January 25, 2003 Thanks elcamino, now I know what I am looking for should I be lucky enough to find one Jeff http://www.StarsFellOnAlabama.com http://www.NotAChance.com If you hide it, they will come.... Quote Link to comment
+Kewaneh & Shark Posted January 26, 2003 Share Posted January 26, 2003 I've been lucky enough to find a number of benchmarks that have the witness posts still intact. The climate here is drier than in many parts of the country and the wood posts sometimes last longer. When I find a benchmark with a witness post, I like to post pictures of the witness posts also. Here are a couple that I've found with good pics of the posts. I mention in the picture descriptions that the 'U S B M' is etched into the witness posts, but it is actually more of a weathered into the posts rather than etched in. HR0678 & HR0679 Hope this helps in your hunts! Keep on Caching! - Kewaneh Quote Link to comment
Wordslinger Posted January 27, 2003 Share Posted January 27, 2003 Thanks for the pics! The terms seem awfully vague sometimes. It's nice to have reference pictures of them! Quote Link to comment
Wild T2 Posted January 27, 2003 Share Posted January 27, 2003 You can sometimes find the old concrete footers for the posts even though the wood is long gone. Sometimes the more modern metal or fiberglass post is driven in the hole in the concrete where the old wooden post was. Quote Link to comment
+jeff35080 Posted January 27, 2003 Author Share Posted January 27, 2003 Thanks for the pictures. I really would like to find one but due to the weather conditions we have here in the southeast, I seriously doubt if I find one... but who knows, I may get lucky Jeff http://www.StarsFellOnAlabama.com http://www.NotAChance.com If you hide it, they will come.... Quote Link to comment
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