Tallahassee Meridian
Encyclopedia
The Tallahassee Meridian, in longitude 84° 16' 37.59" west from the Prime Meridian
at Greenwich, runs north and south from the initial point on the base line at Tallahassee, in latitude 30° 26' 04.12" north, and as a Principal meridian
governs the surveys in Florida
and Alabama
as part of the Public Land Survey System
.
The term "Tallahassee Meridian" is also loosely used to describe the survey monument (see Survey marker
) located at the intersection of these lines of longitude and latitude (the longitude line being the "Tallahassee Meridian" and the latitude line being the "Tallahassee Parallel" or “Tallahassee Base”). This survey monument serves as the base point for U.S. government surveys in the state of Florida. The 6 mile by 6 mile "townships" originate from here and are numbered by "township" (see Survey township
)depending upon whether they are North or South of this point, and are numbered by "range" depending upon whether they are East or West of this point. Thus, Township 3 South Range 26 East would extend from approximately 12 to 18 miles South of the monument, and would be positioned from approximately 150 to 156 miles East of the monument. Each township/range is then divided into 36 sections of 1 mile by 1 mile each. See www.outfitters.com/genealogy/land/twprangemap.html
This survey monument can be found in a side yard East of a non-descript government building located at 411 Bloxham Street, Tallahassee Florida. Fortunately, an American flag and war memorial monuments are also located there -- otherwise the monument could be easily missed. The monument originally marked the SouthWest Corner of a section of land given in gratitude by the state of Florida to Marquis de LaFayette (see Lafayette Land Grant
) -- his lands being part of Township 1 North Range 1 East. Photographs of the marker are published by the Principal Meridian Project (www.pmproject.org ).
Prime Meridian
The Prime Meridian is the meridian at which the longitude is defined to be 0°.The Prime Meridian and its opposite the 180th meridian , which the International Date Line generally follows, form a great circle that divides the Earth into the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.An international...
at Greenwich, runs north and south from the initial point on the base line at Tallahassee, in latitude 30° 26' 04.12" north, and as a Principal meridian
Principal meridian
A meridian is an imaginary line on the Earth's surface from the North Pole to the South Pole that connects all locations with a given longitude. Each is half of a great circle on the Earth's surface...
governs the surveys in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
and Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
as part of the Public Land Survey System
Public Land Survey System
The Public Land Survey System is a method used in the United States to survey and identify land parcels, particularly for titles and deeds of rural, wild or undeveloped land. Its basic units of area are the township and section. It is sometimes referred to as the rectangular survey system,...
.
The term "Tallahassee Meridian" is also loosely used to describe the survey monument (see Survey marker
Survey marker
Survey markers, also called survey marks, and sometimes geodetic marks, are objects placed to mark key survey points on the Earth's surface. They are used in geodetic and land surveying. Informally, such marks are referred to as benchmarks, although strictly speaking the term "benchmark" is...
) located at the intersection of these lines of longitude and latitude (the longitude line being the "Tallahassee Meridian" and the latitude line being the "Tallahassee Parallel" or “Tallahassee Base”). This survey monument serves as the base point for U.S. government surveys in the state of Florida. The 6 mile by 6 mile "townships" originate from here and are numbered by "township" (see Survey township
Survey township
Survey township, sometimes called Congressional township, as used by the United States Public Land Survey System, refers to a square unit of land, that is nominally six miles on a side...
)depending upon whether they are North or South of this point, and are numbered by "range" depending upon whether they are East or West of this point. Thus, Township 3 South Range 26 East would extend from approximately 12 to 18 miles South of the monument, and would be positioned from approximately 150 to 156 miles East of the monument. Each township/range is then divided into 36 sections of 1 mile by 1 mile each. See www.outfitters.com/genealogy/land/twprangemap.html
This survey monument can be found in a side yard East of a non-descript government building located at 411 Bloxham Street, Tallahassee Florida. Fortunately, an American flag and war memorial monuments are also located there -- otherwise the monument could be easily missed. The monument originally marked the SouthWest Corner of a section of land given in gratitude by the state of Florida to Marquis de LaFayette (see Lafayette Land Grant
Lafayette Land Grant
The Lafayette Land Grant was a gift by the government of the United States of just over of real estate in central Leon County, Florida, United States.-Origins:...
) -- his lands being part of Township 1 North Range 1 East. Photographs of the marker are published by the Principal Meridian Project (www.pmproject.org ).