Surveying the Gettysburg Battlefield: Cope Meridian Line

pamc153PA

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The last time I was out at Gettysburg, one of the thing I wanted to locate was the stone markers placed on the battlefield by chief engineer Emmor Cope in 1893, to be used as part of a meridian line for all future NPS battlefield surveys and mapping. One end of the meridian line established by Cope was placed in the center of the square/diamond in town, and the other was placed on Cemetery Hill near the 126 New York Infantry monument. This one is easy to find; I was able to find it with no trouble, except that there's no good place to park near it!

The stone marker itself.

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The marker behind and to the right of the 126th NY monument on Cemetery Hill, just beyond the Bryan House.
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Here is the link to a really good, detailed article about Cope's work at Gettysburg, and other mapping that was done, inlcuding the Batchelder and Warren maps.

http://www.profsurv.com/magazine/article.aspx?i=71028

My next quest is to dodge the traffic in the Gettysburg square/diamond and see if I can find the other marker for the Cope meridian line!
 

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The last time I was out at Gettysburg, one of the thing I wanted to locate was the stone markers placed on the battlefield by chief engineer Emmor Cope in 1893, to be used as part of a meridian line for all future NPS battlefield surveys and mapping. One end of the meridian line established by Cope was placed in the center of the square/diamond in town, and the other was placed on Cemetery Hill near the 126 New York Infantry monument. This one is easy to find; I was able to find it with no trouble, except that there's no good place to park near it!

The stone marker itself.

Expired Image Removed


The marker behind and to the right of the 126th NY monument on Cemetery Hill, just beyond the Bryan House.
Expired Image Removed

Here is the link to a really good, detailed article about Cope's work at Gettysburg, and other mapping that was done, inlcuding the Batchelder and Warren maps.

http://www.profsurv.com/magazine/article.aspx?i=71028

My next quest is to dodge the traffic in the Gettysburg square/diamond and see if I can find the other marker for the Cope meridian line!
I realize this post is over 5 years old, but did you ever find one in the square? Just wondering. Ken Rich was posting on FB about the Cope Meridian. I had never heard of it, so googled it, and came upon this post of yours, Pam.
 
I realize this post is over 5 years old, but did you ever find one in the square? Just wondering. Ken Rich was posting on FB about the Cope Meridian. I had never heard of it, so googled it, and came upon this post of yours, Pam.
@pamc153PA , I wasn't sure you'd see this without being ' at'd '. It's brand, new to me too so will be interested to hear the answer?

No, I was never able to find the one in the square in town. I did talk to Ken about it years ago—after I spent a good amount of time hunting for it—and I agree with his reasoning that once the point on Hancock Avenue was established, the one in town wasn’t needed to be permanent. (I have some surveying experience thanks to my forestry degree.:smile:) The Cope meridian is one of those little-known things about the battlefield that I love to research and hunt for!
 
No, I was never able to find the one in the square in town. I did talk to Ken about it years ago—after I spent a good amount of time hunting for it—and I agree with his reasoning that once the point on Hancock Avenue was established, the one in town wasn’t needed to be permanent. (I have some surveying experience thanks to my forestry degree.:smile:) The Cope meridian is one of those little-known things about the battlefield that I love to research and hunt for!
Really interesting. I literally learn something new about Gettysburg almost every single day.
 
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