The Eastern Shore Series of the Transcontinental Triangulation (1896-1897)
The Eastern series connected the Cape May lighthouse and the Kent Island base line network. It incorporated several stations that had been observed in the 1840's during the coastal surveys of Hassler and Bache, but most of the older triangulation work needed to be improved. This fell upon Frank Walley Perkins, Assistant Coast and Geodetic Survey, who completed the work in 1896 and 1897. One third of the 87-mile network was over water, and two-thirds on mostly flat, low land. The low topological relief of the area required the construction of tall towers upon which to mount the equipment. At six stations, the observing towers were 120 foot tall, and some of the target signals were 260 feet tall.
Still Pond tower. (NOAA photo library image)
Also see: transcontinental triangulation, Kent Island base line
No. |
Name |
PID |
Monumented |
Destroyed |
Designation |
1 |
Finlay (1844) |
1844 |
Y |
FINLAY 1844 |
|
2 |
Linstid (1848) |
1844 |
|
LINSTID RESET |
|
3 |
Osbornes Ruin (1844) |
1844 |
Y |
OSBORNES RUIN 1844 |
|
4 |
Pooles Island (1848) |
1844 |
|
POOLES ISLAND 1844 |
|
5 |
Clough (1896) |
1896 |
|
CLOUGH RESET |
|
6 |
Turkey Point (1845) |
1896 |
|
TURKEY POINT RESET |
|
7 |
Still Pond (1896) |
1896 |
|
STILL POND |
|
8 |
Hope (1896) |
1897 |
|
HOPE RESET |
|
9 |
Barclay (1897) |
1932 |
|
BARCLAY RESET |
|
10 |
Hartly (1896) |
1896 |
|
HARTLY RESET |
|
11 |
Kent (1896) |
1896 |
|
KENT RESET |
|
12 |
Mahon (1896) |
1896 |
|
MAHON 1896 |
|
13 |
Stone (1896) |
1896 |
Y |
STONE 1896 |
|
14 |
Egg Island Lighthouse (1896) |
1896 |
Y |
EGG ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE |
|
15 |
Brandywine Shoal Lighthouse (1896) |
1877 |
|
BRANDYWINE SHOAL LIGHTHOUSE |
|
16 |
Cape Henlopen Lighthouse (1896) |
1841 |
|
CAPE HENLOPEN LIGHTHOUSE |
|
17 |
Cape May Lighthouse (1896) |
1859 |
|
CAPE MAY LIGHTHOUSE |