USDI/NPS Monument No. 264 - 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 thus far. 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, a few inches high & set into the ground, blending in almost perfectly with the field stone in back of it to avoid detection. 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 ...264. 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, this one being an exception. One of the monuments in this series actually has a numerical-letter designation so I do not know what the numerical thinking was when these were surveyed and installed. There are slight variations in some of these things.

The benchmark is located at Stevens Knoll on the left side or southwest side of Slocum Avenue if traveling northwest, along a low defensive-rock wall, very close to the side of the road and 81 feet south of where the road becomes Wainwright Avenue leading to East Cemetery Hill along Baltimore Pike. At the point where Wainwright Avenue begins, Slocum Avenue makes a left and continues southwest. Parking is available along the shoulder when available. Take care to not park on anything remotely green looking lest ye be ticketed by park police. I visited this benchmark on Monday, July 29 @ 12:52 PM, EDT & @ an altitude of 571 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.