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Surveyor's Chain

National Museum of American History
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Object Details

owner
Johnson, John
originator
Gunter, Edmund
Description
In 1620 an English mathematician and astronomer named Edmund Gunter described a surveyor's chain with 100 links, measuring 66 feet (22 yards or 4 poles) overall. By this design, one square chain equals 484 square yards, ten square chains equal an acre, and eighty chains equal a mile. Gunther's design proved extremely popular, especially in English lands. This example belonged to John Johnson (1771-1841), the Surveyor General of Vermont. It is made of steel, with round handles at either end, brass tallies every 10 links, and swivels every 25 links. Each link is joined to the next by three rings, and each unit (link and three rings) is 7.92 inches long.
Location
Currently not on view
Credit Line
John Johnson Allen
ID Number
PH.309548
accession number
95588
catalog number
309548
Object Name
Surveyor's Chain (Gunter)
Measurements
overall length: 66 ft; 20.1168 m
overall, bundled: 3 1/2 in x 10 in x 6 1/2 in; 8.89 cm x 25.4 cm x 16.51 cm
See more items in
Medicine and Science: Physical Sciences
Surveying and Geodesy
Measuring & Mapping
National Museum of American History
Record ID
nmah_761634
Metadata Usage (text)
CC0
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a5-a51c-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
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IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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