GAITHERSBURG OBS NORTH 2 (JV4125) - Gaithersburg, MD
Posted by: Ernmark
N 39° 08.200 W 077° 11.934
18S E 309950 N 4334245
A Traverse Station disk located in a park which contains 5 survey marks and is the site of an observatory which was used to measure the wobble of the Earth on its axis.
Waymark Code: WMNWAY
Location: Maryland, United States
Date Posted: 05/10/2015
Views: 3
Disk is now showcased in center of small half-circle graveled area along the S side of a small trail - just W of the Observatory building.
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:
01/01/1948 by CGS (MONUMENTED)
DESCRIBED BY COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY 1948 (MLC) STATION IS LOCATED ON THE GROUNDS OF THE COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY LATITUDE OBSERVATORY, ABOUT 75 FEET S OF A 14-INCH CEDAR TREE, AND ABOUT 60 FEET SW OF THE PIER IN THE OBSERVATORY. IT IS 3.53 FEET SW OF THE SW CORNER OF THE T-INTERSECTION OF SIDEWALKS FROM THE OBSERVERS HOUSE TO THE GARAGE AND A PERPENDICULAR WALK TO THE TOOL SHED. THE MARK IS SET IN A ROUND CONCRETE POST FLUSH WITH THE GROUND.
01/01/1986 by NGS (GOOD)
RECOVERY NOTE BY NATIONAL GEODETIC SURVEY 1986 IN GAITHERSBURG. IN GAITHERSBURG, ON THE GROUNDS OF THE C AND GS LATITUDE OBSERVATORY, 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. NOTE--NO STAMPING KNOWN.
07/25/1990 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 47.0 M (154.2 FT) TO THE STATION ON THE RIGHT 30.0 M (98.4 FT) WEST OF THE CENTERLINE OF THE CIRCLE DRIVE. OWNERSHIP--CITY OF GAITHERSBURG THE STATION MARK IS A STANDARD USCGS TRAVERSE STATION DISK WITH NO STAMPING SET IN THE TOP OF A ROUND CONCRETE MONUMENT 0.17 M (0.56 FT) IN DIAMETER RECESSED 0.1 M (0.3 FT) IN THE GRASS. IT IS 1.0 M (3.3 FT) SOUTHWEST OF THE SOUTHWEST INTERSECTION OF CONCRETE WALKS, 17.7 M (58.1 FT) NNE OF THE NORTH CORNER OF A BRICK HOUSE, 28.15 M (92.36 FT) NORTH OF THE EAST CORNER OF A BRICK HOUSE, 21.22 M (69.62 FT) OF A USCGS TRIANGULATION STATION DISK STAMPED OBSERVATORY 1966 AND 9.5 M (31.2 FT) OF A 0.7 M (2.3 FT) CHERRY.
09/19/1995 by USPSQD (GOOD)
RECOVERY NOTE BY US POWER SQUADRON 1995 RECOVERED IN GOOD CONDITION.
3/03/2005 by USPSQD (GOOD)
RECOVERY NOTE BY US POWER SQUADRON 2005 (KLM)
RECOVERED IN GOOD CONDITION.
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.
Condition: Mark found in good condition
Designation: GAITHERSBURG OBS NORTH 2
Benchmark Agency: U.S. Coast & Geodetic Survey
Monumentation type: TRAVERSE STATION Disk
County: Montgomery County
USGS 7.5' Topographic Quadrangle Name (optional): Gaithersburg - MD
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: JV4125
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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Visit Instructions:
- A closeup photo of the mark taken by you is required.
- A 'distant' photo including the mark in the view is highly recommended. Include the compass direction you faced when you took the picture.