Washington Meridian Definition for Land Surveyors
Washington Meridian-1 Established by the Act of September 28, 1850, which provided for the adoption of the meridian of the observatory at Washington, which passes through the old Naval Observatory at 24th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C.; adopted for all nautical purposes. The Act was repealed August 22, 1912. During the nearly 62 years the act was in force, the meridional boundaries of the Territories and States of Arizona, Colorado, Dakota, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, and Wyoming, and the States of Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Utah were referred to the Washington Meridian, which is 77° 03’02.3″ west of Greenwich (U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1212). The U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey reported it to be 77°03’06.276.” 2 The principal meridian, adopted in 1803, which governs surveys in the southwestern part of Mississippi is also named the Washington Meridian.
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Source: NSPS “Definitions of Surveying and Related Terms“, used with permission.
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