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What Is This? Meridian Stones
July 7, 2016 | Filed under: Island Science, Nantucket History & People and tagged with: IN THIS ISSUE
history, Meridian Stones
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~ by Katherine Brooks, Maria Mitchell Association ~ Still Exceeding

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Have you seen stones inscribed with these messages?
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Northern Extremity of the Towns Meridian Line

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Southern Extremity of the Towns Meridian Line See TWN Play

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These two stones are located near the
Memory of Son
Pacific National Bank and the Fair Street
North Meridian Stone Quaker Meetinghouse in downtown Yesterdays Island
Nantucket. The stones date back to 1840 2016 Photo Contest
and have been a standing mystery since the 20th century. Forgotten
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amongst the cobblestones and other relics that create historic Nantucket,
the true purpose of the stones remained a mystery to scientists and towns the Old Mill

people alike, the meaning of their purpose lost over time. The mystery of A True Nantucket
the meridian stones was solved in 2002 by a team of Nantucket Maria
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Mitchell Association researchers.
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Theories of the stones original purpose included rating chronometers Walkabout Exploring
(accurately timed clocks taken aboard ships to help determine longitude Nantucket
while out at sea) for whaling ships, and even a theory that the stones had
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no practical use at all. If you took a guided-tour of Nantucket and walked
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past those stones before the 2002 investigation, you would hear tour
guides tell a number of stories and theories about the meaning of the Yesterdays
meridian stones. So what are they actually? A meridian line is a line that Island/Todays
indicates, true north (where the North Pole is geographically), as
Nantucket Page by
opposed to magnetic north, which is aligned with the Earths magnetic
Page
field. If you were to use a compass or pull out your smartphone and
open your compass app that compass (digital or physical) would show Limerick Challenge
you magnetic north. The stones were measured and placed accordingly to
create a line that demarcates true north.
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The two stones were erected by William Mitchell, a prominent Exploring Nantucket
astronomer, teacher, and surveyor on Nantucket in the early 1800s. He
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was also the father of the first American woman astronomer, Maria
Mitchell. These stones were important for surveying work and were Featured Entrepreneur

among the first established in the U.S. quite some time before an act of Featured Restaurants
Congress required states to establish them. Knowing the angle between
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the stones was important for surveyors and mapmakers who needed to
translate between their compass readings and directions on a map. Or, Island Cooking

perhaps in the case of William Mitchell, creating exact property lines and Island Science
translating between both cardinal and magnetic directions to keep the
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housing and land measurements consistent.
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As the team of Maria Mitchell Association Entertaining

researchers began the search for the Nantucket Essays

truth about these mysterious stones, they South Meridian Stone
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found public documents from 1840
Nantucket Town Meetings, which indicated that the stones were most Nantucket History &

likely used as an instrument for public use. The stones have thin lines, People
which indicated to scientists that the stones might have been used for Nantucket Style
measuring, and could be a compass stone. The team took
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measurements of the stones through two different methods, and both
concluded that the stones were slightly misaligned, which was a curious
discovery from a technical observer such as William Mitchell. From public LIKE US ON
records and documents, measurements, and research, the Maria Mitchell FACEBOOK

team concluded that the south stone had been removed and replaced for
construction and paving projects two separate times. The movement of ARTICLES BY DATE

the stones from their original spot indicates that the stones were likely FROM 2012
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not replaced accurately, accounting for the misalignment to true north.
2012
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What do these stones do now? The stones are historical artifacts and
serve as a symbolic monument of astronomical and geographic advances
ARTICLES 2007-
in the early 1800s. The meridian stones are unobtrusive; perhaps you
2011
have even passed by the stones without even noticing them. The stones
2007-2011 Featured
act as a reminder of how integrated our knowledge of the land is with our
knowledge of the sky; and of how we take for granted the tools available Articles

to us for navigation. 2007-2011 Island

Science

Meridian markers are reminders of an important period in

2007-2011 Nantucket
the history of Western civilization, during which people were
learning how to precisely measure the local territory and, Essays

eventually, the whole planet. Vladimir Strelnitski (Maria 2007-2011 Nantucket

Mitchell Observatory Director Emeritus)
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2010 Nantucket Island

The next time you are in Town keep a lookout for these stones and take a
minute to orient yourself to true north. If you are interested in learning Memories

more about Nantucket or the astronomical and geological happenings Archived Nantucket
around you, join the Maria Mitchell Association for fun-filled activities,
Articles 2007 2011
which connect the past with the present and space with land. On July 20th
you can even meet Vladimir Strelnitski, one of the prominent scientists to
solve the case of the mysterious meridian stones, and hear one his most
popular lectures on the phenomena of polar lights at the MMA Summer
Science Speaker Series.

The MMA was founded in 1902 to preserve the legacy of Maria Mitchell
and to promote her belief in learning-by-doing. An astronomer and
natural scientist, as well as an educator, Maria Mitchell shot to worldwide
fame when she discovered a comet in 1846. For her discovery, she was
awarded a gold medal from the King of Denmark the first American and
first woman to receive the honor. She served as the Professor of
Astronomy and Mathematics at Vassar College from 1865 until 1888.
Today, the MMA operates two observatories, a natural science museum,
an aquarium, and the birthplace of Maria Mitchell. The MMA conducts
scientific research, leads classes and workshops for people of all ages
 year-round, and welcomes thousands of visitors to its museums and
observatories. For details, visit www.mariamitchell.org.

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