City of Frederick's special stones

by Susan Harding

For five generations, two strange but very special stones have graced Old Courthouse Square (presently the site of City Hall) in the City of Frederick, Maryland. These special stones are known as Compass Meridian Stones mandated by the Maryland Legislature in 1870 for the purpose of calibrating surveyor’s compasses to magnetic declination.
Since 1896, the two stones have stood perfectly aligned with True North until a disturbance knocked monument “South Magnetic” out of position.
As a volunteer project of the Appalachian Chapter of the Maryland Society of Surveyors, the South Meridian Stone of Fredericktowne was reset with the support and cooperation of the City of Frederick. The North Magnetic Stone has been located by GPS observations and the coordinates are now part of the City Control Database.
A rededication ceremony of the restored South Magnetic stone was held Wednesday, September 27 at 12:00 noon on the Southeast corner of the front lawn of City Hall, 101 North Court Street, in the City of Frederick. Representatives from the Maryland Society of Surveyors and the City unveiled a bronze tablet which will commemorate the history of the stones and the rededication ceremony. [www.cityoffrederick.com].