OBSERVATORY (JV4126) - Gaithersburg, MD - U.S. Benchmarks on Waymarking.com

Disk is now showcased in center of small half-circle graveled area along the inside curve of a small trail - at a point where the trail turns from roughly E-W to N-S. Disk is at grade.

Note - 4 of the 5 disks in this park are located in these little 'pull-offs' along the trail ...which incidentally is meant to simulate the path of the Earth's wobble.

These disks have also managed to get themselves listed in the National Register of Historic Places when the observatory was added in 1985.

Recovery information from the NGS datasheet is as follows:

1/1/1966 by CGS (MONUMENTED)
DESCRIBED BY COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY 1966 (LGB) THE STATION IS LOCATED ON THE GROUNDS OF THE COAST AND GEODETIC LATITUDE OBSERVATORY IN THE SOUTH PART OF GAITHERSBURG, MARYLAND.

TO REACH THE STATION FROM THE POST OFFICE IN GAITHERSBURG, GO SOUTH ON PAVED STREET FOR 0.15 MILE TO A TRAFFIC LIGHT AT JUNCTION WITH STATE HIGHWAY 355. TURN RIGHT AND GO WEST ON HIGHWAY 355 FOR 0.05 MILE TO DE SELLUM AVE ON THE LEFT. TURN LEFT AND GO SOUTH ON DE SELLUM AVE FOR 0.15 MILE. CONTINUE SOUTH ON A NARROW SURFACED ROAD FOR 0.1 MILE TO ENTRANCE TO OBSERVATORY GROUNDS. CONTINUE THROUGH OBSERVATORY GROUNDS ON SURFACED DRIVEWAY FOR 150 FEET TO THE STATION ON THE RIGHT, IN LAWN.

THE STATION MARK IS A STANDARD DISK STAMPED OBSERVATORY 1966, SET IN TOP OF A CYLINDRICAL CONCRETE MONUMENT 12 INCHES IN DIAMETER AND 2 INCHES BELOW THE SURFACE OF THE GROUND. IT IS 77 FEET WEST-SOUTHWEST OF THE CENTER OF THE DRIVEWAY, 62 FEET NORTHWEST OF THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF A BRICK HOUSE AND 40.5 FEET WEST OF A 48-INCH BOXELDER TREE.

GAITHERSBURG OBSERVATORY NORTH 2 IS A STANDARD TRAVERSE STATION DISK WITH NO STAMPING ON THE DISK, SET IN TOP OF A CONCRETE MONUMENT THAT IS 3 INCHES BELOW THE SURFACE OF THE GROUND. IT IS 58 FEET NORTH OF THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF THE BRICK HOUSE, 50 FEET SOUTHWEST OF THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF THE OBSERVATORY BUILDING AND 3.5 FEET SOUTHWEST OF THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF THE T-INTERSECTION OF A SIDEWALK FROM THE BRICK HOUSE TO A PERPENDICULAR WALK TO THE WEST THAT ENDS IN THE YARD.

GAITHERSBURG OBSERVATORY SOUTH IS A STANDARD TRAVERSE STATION DISK WITH NO STAMPING ON THE DISK, SET IN TOP OF CYLINDRICAL CONCRETE MONUMENT 6 INCHES IN DIAMETER AND FLUSH WITH THE SURFACE OF THE GROUND. IT IS 43.5 FEET SOUTHWEST OF THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF THE BRICK HOUSE, 25.5 FEET NORTH-NORTHEAST OF A TWIN-TRUNKED CEDAR TREE AND 23 FEET SOUTH OF A 12-INCH BOXELDER TREE.

MAGNETIC STATION 1900 IS A STANDARD MAGNETIC STATION DISK STAMPED 1900 1935, SET IN TOP OF AN 8 INCH SQUARE CONCRETE MONUMENT THAT PROJECTS 1 INCH ABOVE THE SURFACE OF THE GROUND. IT IS 70 FEET SOUTHWEST OF THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF THE BRICK HOUSE AND 19 FEET SOUTH OF A 6 INCH CEDAR TREE.

THE AZIMUTH MARK IS A STANDARD DISK STAMPED OBSERVATORY 1966, CEMENTED IN A DRILL HOLE IN A CONCRETE SIDE WALK LEADING TO SCHOOL BUILDING. IT IS 23 FEET NORTH-NORTHEAST OF THE FLAG POLE, 22 FEET SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF THE SOUTH EDGE OF THE PARKING LOT, 3.5 FEET WEST-NORTHWEST OF THE EAST EDGE OF THE SIDE WALK AND 6 INCHES EAST-SOUTHEAST OF THE WEST EDGE OF THE SIDE WALK.

TO REACH THE AZIMUTH MARK FROM THE INTERSECTION OF STATE HIGHWAY 355 AND DE SELLUM AVE, GO EAST ON HIGHWAY 355 FOR 0.05 TO A TRAFFIC LIGHT. TURN RIGHT AT THE TRAFFIC LIGHT AND GO SOUTHERLY ON A ONE-WAY STREET FOR 0.2 MILE TO THE SOUTH EDGE OF THE SCHOOL PARKING LOT AND THE MARK AS DESCRIBED ON SHEET ONE.

HEIGHT OF LIGHT ABOVE STATION MARK 30.4 METERS.

1/1/1981 by NGS (GOOD)
RECOVERY NOTE BY NATIONAL GEODETIC SURVEY 1981 (RGP) THE STATION AND ALL MARKS WERE RECOVERED AND FOUND IN GOOD CONDITION AS DESCRIBED IN THE MOST RECENT INFORMATION. THE AZIMUTH MARK IS NO LONGER VISIBLE FROM THE GROUND. A SLIGHT DIFFERENCE IN DISTANCE WAS NOTED TO THE THREE CLOSE STATIONS HOWEVER THE DIRECTION TO ALL OBJECTS WERE WITHIN CLOSE AGREEMENT WITH THE MOST RECENT INFORMATION.

A NEW REFERENCE MARK ONE WAS ESTABLISHED AT THIS DATE AND IT IS DESCRIBED BELOW.

REFERENCE MARK ONE IS A STANDARD DISK STAMPED---OBSERVATORY 1966 NO 1 1980---SET IN THE TOP OF 12-INCH CONCRETE POST WHICH IS 1 INCH BELOW THE SURFACE. IT IS 60 FEET NORTHWEST OF THE EDGE OF THE OBSERVATORY YARD, 56 FEET SOUTHEAST OF A POWERLINE POLE AT THE SOUTHEAST CORNER OF THE OBSERVATORY BUILDING, 50.2 FEET EAST OF A FLAG POLE AND 15 FEET EAST OF THE CENTER OF A CIRCLE DRIVE SURROUNDING THE OBSERVATORY.

1/1/1986 by NGS (GOOD)
RECOVERY NOTE BY NATIONAL GEODETIC SURVEY 1986 IN GAITHERSBURG. IN GAITHERSBURG, ON THE GROUNDS OF THE C AND GS LATITUDE OBSERVATORY, 77 FEET WEST-SOUTHWEST OF CENTER OF THE DRIVEWAY, 62 FEET NORTHWEST OF THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF A BRICK HOUSE, AND 40.5 FEET WEST OF A 48-INCH BOXELDER TREE.

7/25/1990 by WSSC (GOOD)
RECOVERY NOTE BY WASH SUBURB SAN COMM 1990 THE STATION IS LOCATED ABOUT 7.4 KM (4.6 MI) NORTHWEST OF ROCKVILLE, 11.4 KM (7.1 MI) WSW OF OLNEY AND 7.6 KM (4.7 MI) SOUTHEAST OF GERMANTOWN IN THE CITY OF GAITHERSBURG. TO REACH THE STATION FROM THE ROUTE 355 BRIDGE OVER THE B AND O RAILROAD TRACKS IN GAITHERSBURG GO SOUTH ON ROUTE 355 0.5 KM (0.3 MI) TO DESELLUM AVENUE, TURN RIGHT AND GO WEST 0.24 KM (0.15 MI) TO ITS APPARENT END. CONTINUE WEST ON A NARROW ROUGH SERVICE ROAD 0.16 KM (0.10 MI) TO THE OBSERVATORY GATE. CONTINUE THROUGH THE GATE TO THE CIRCLE DRIVE, CONTINUE WEST AROUND THE CIRCLE 50 M (164.0 FT) TO THE STATION ON THE RIGHT 24.0 M (78.7 FT) WEST OF THE CENTERLINE OF THE CIRCLE DRIVE. OWNERSHIP--CITY OF GAITHERSBURG THE STATION MARK IS A STANDARD NGS TRIANGULATION DISK STAMPED OBSERVATORY 1966 SET IN THE TOP OF A ROUND CONCRETE MONUMENT 0.3 M (1.0 FT) IN DIAMETER RECESSED 0.1 M (0.3 FT) IN THE GRASS. IT IS 10.0 M (32.8 FT) WSW OF THE FACE OF A 1.1 M (3.6 FT) SILVER MAPLE, 18.18 M (59.65 FT) NORTHWEST OF THE NORTH CORNER OF A BRICK HOUSE, 20.60 M (67.59 FT) NORTH OF THE WEST CORNER OF A BRICK HOUSE, 17.7 M (58.1 FT) SOUTHEAST OF A WIRE FENCE ALONG THE NORTHWEST PROPERTY LINE, 51.41 M (168.67 FT) WNW OF REFERENCE MARK DISK STAMPED GAITHERSBURG 1966 NO 1 1980 AND 21.22 M (69.62 FT) WEST OF A TRAVERSE STATION DISK WITH NO STAMPING DESIGNATED AS GAITHERSBURG OBSERVATORY NORTH 2. GAITHERSBURG OBS RM 1 SERVES AS AN REFERENCE MARK FOR THIS STATION. OBSERVATORY AZ MK SERVES AS AN AZIMUTH MARK FOR THIS STATION BUT CAN NOT BE SEEN GROUND TO GROUND.

9/11/2013 by BASE9 (GOOD)
RECOVERY NOTE BY GEODETIC CONSULTING SERVICE 2013 (DRD)
THE STATION IS ON THE SITE OF THE GAITHERSBURG INTERNATIONAL LATITUDE OBSERVATORY PARK.

10/17/2014 by RODCON (GOOD)
RECOVERY NOTE BY RODGERS CONSULTING INC 2014 (JMB)
RECOVERED IN GOOD CONDITION.

Condition: Mark found in good condition Designation: OBSERVATORY Benchmark Agency: U.S. Coast & Geodetic Survey Monumentation type: TRIANGULATION STATION Disk County: Montgomery County USGS 7.5' Topographic Quadrangle Name (optional): Gaithersburg Find type: Coordinates and/or to-reach information from the NGS database (or Geocaching's copy of it) were used Web address of this benchmark's datasheet (optional): [Web Link] NGS PID: JV4126 Local database's URL (optional): [Web Link] Benchmark Agency (if other): Not listed Monumentation type (if other): Not listed Special category (optional): Not listed Special Category (if other): Not listed

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