Magnetic Stations, Part 1
I received three documents from Harry Nelson of MaineDOT concerning magnetic stations. He states that “The description of magnetic stations are not published by NGS other than in these publications.”
As described in Uses of Magnetic Stations (U. S. Coast & Geodetic Survey Special Publication No. 213 from 1937), magnetic stations provide known points at which magnetic declination can be measured and tracked over time.
The first document provided by Mr. Nelson, and the only one that lists magnetic stations in Pennsylvania, is Results of Magnetic Observations Made by the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey in 1914.
This station, in Hamburg, PA, might be possible for me to find:
Hamburg, Berks County.-The station of 1910 was reoccupied. It is in the western one of two circular plots near the center of the Union Cemetery, belonging to the Reformed Lutheran Church, about one-fourth mile from the center of town. The station is 6 feet west of the west edge of the driveway, 40.7 feet west of the southwest comer of the base of the tombstone of Stephen J. Smith, 49.6 feet south of the south face of the base of the tombstone of David Keller, and about 170 feet south of the gate of the cemetery. It is marked by a marble post 6 by 6 by 24 inches, lettered U.S. C. & G. S., set flush with the ground. The following true bearings were determined:
South gable of stone farmhouse one-half mile away (mark) ………………. 20° 37.6’ west of north
Cupola of barn 800 feet away………………………………………… 60° 48.8’ east of north
When I first looked at the map, I couldn’t even find the circular cemetery plots. At least according to Google Maps, there is no longer a Union Cemetery or a Reformed Lutheran Church in Hamburg, and at first glance I didn’t see any obvious circular plots in the large cemeteries I saw in town. But I used FindaGrave.com to look up the graves of the two people mentioned in the description, and the coordinates of those gravestones took me directly to the site.
My best guess at the coordinates is: 40.557284, -75.976726: