USDI/NPS Benchmark (Reliance Mine Saloon) - Gettysburg, PA - U.S. Benchmarks on Waymarking.com

There is a sizable collection of these benchmarks about the park. I have found almost two dozen There are certainly more but they are yet unfound. Given their age, condition and anonymity, I doubt there is an official list or spreadsheet available to know how many of these markers exist for sure. Like all the medallions, this marker rests in a concrete, prism-shaped monument, about a foot and a half (much higher than all the others) set into the ground. The monument is in pretty good condition except for a green patina which has plagued almost anything bronze installed from the early 20th century. It was probably installed when this battlefield gained official historic district status although the greening of the disc may indicate a much older benchmark. The marker simply reads USDI - NPS. The letters stand for U.S. Department of Interior - National Park Service. Sometimes they are numbered but lately, most of the new ones I have been discovering are unnumbered. One of the monuments in this series actually has a numerical-letter designation so I do not know what the thinking was when these were surveyed and installed. There are slight variations in some of these things.

The benchmark is located to the rear of the Reliance Mine Saloon, almost touching the very back and far right corner of the concrete block building. Although the Saloon has a Steinwehr Avenue Address, as this is the direction the front faces, the benchmark is located along South Washington Street/Taneytown Road/Route 134. The benchmark is easy to miss unless you are really looking for it; I have missed it for three years before finally stumbling upon it on this day. As a reference the 1st Minnesota section of the National Cemetery is directly across the street. Parking is available 33 feet to the southwest of this position, in an adjacent parking lot. I visited this benchmark on Monday, July 1, 2013 on the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg @ 12:14 PM, EDT & @ an altitude of 586 feet, ASL. As always, I used my trusty and oft abused Canon PowerShot 14.1 Megapixel, SX210 IS digital camera for the photos.

1. A closeup photo of the mark taken by you is required.
2. A 'distant' photo including the mark in the view is highly recommended. Include the compass direction you faced when you took the picture.