- Coordinates:
- N 41.54808° W 75.43334°
- Location:
- Elevation:
- 1559.794 ft.
- Type:
- Transit Traverse Station Disk
- Setting:
- Concrete Post
- Year Established:
- 1932
- Established By:
- USGS
- Status:
- Recovered
- Condition:
- Good as of July 12, 2014
-
Official USGS Description:
South Canaan, 2.5 mi N. and 1.2 mi W. of; 2.9 mi SW. of Waymart; 1.7 mi N. of Spangenberg School; on old station rd.; 800 ft N. of Arnold farmhouse; on Canaan and South Canaan Township line; 200 ft E. of E. & H. RR.; 44 ft W. of rd.; in concrete post; standard tablet stamped "TT STA NO 19 T 1932"
Plane Coordinates (feet) Latitude Longitude X = 2,633,984 Y = 511,732 41 32 52.52 -75 26 01.11
Our third mark for today took us on a winding country road adventure. The panoramic views of the windmills from Robinson Road were a real treat! Much of the description is long out of date, but we trusted that the coordinates I'd pulled from the topo map would get us within twenty feet of the mark, as they typically do. We drew close to the coordinates and found ourselves nearing the base of a gravel driveway, with a wooded patch to the north. We drove by slowly, not expecting to see much from the road. But in an instant, we both spotted a yellow-painted post several yards into the woods!
We parked and walked up the driveway to find a bare-chested man watching us warily. I think he had an eyebrow raised—maybe he thought we were selling something. Fortunately, he was very friendly, knew exactly where the mark was, and was excited to show us. We told him we had already spotted it from the road and just wanted permission to enter the woods and take a few photos. The man said, "Sure, absolutely, go ahead!" and then went on to tell us that we weren't the first. A few years ago, some other people had stopped by to check on the mark. They spent a few minutes in the woods just verifying the mark's condition, he assumed, and then they left. Rich and I are still wondering who they might have been! PennDOT, or maybe someone from USGS? It's highly unlikely that a geocacher would know about this mark, since it's not in the NGS database, but I suppose it's remotely possible.
The disk and monument are in near-perfect condition. They have a good caretaker who, he said, clears the area of excess growth because he recognizes the importance of the mark. We showed him the description, but he was unfamiliar with some of the older landmarks mentioned, like the Arnold farmhouse and the Spangenberg School.
Where was the Spangenberg School? Any ideas? Where’s the original description?
The only description I have is the one above, listed as “Official USGS Description.” I haven’t found much online about the Spangenberg School, but if I can track down a copy of “The Rural Schools of Wayne County” by Mimi Steffen, that may help! I’ll try to find it.