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Surveyors and the instruments they used played an important part in the development and history of America. Dividing up the land and determining passages and routes across the land were important to the growth and development of this country. From the earliest Colonial times surveying the land and determining how to get from point A to point B and beyond, and who owned what, was of vital concern.

The earliest instruments used for surveying prior to the development of compasses included devices such as circumferentors, quadrants and sextants whose origins and use are most commonly associated with maritime navigation. The need for more precision as well as portability led to design changes and improvements in the known designs for instruments used on land. What generally became known as survey compasses became the standard for day to day use by surveyors here in America.

The earliest American examples were made of either brass or primitive wooden bodied surveying compasses. 18th century instruments dating from the colonial era occasionally turn up but are very rare. Different forms or designations of surveying compasses include Plain and Vernier compasses, Railroad compasses, Mining compasses, and Solar compasses. Each of these different styles of compasses had features allowing them to perform specific tasks or functions, and were used to accomplish different tasks as their name implies.

More complex and job specific compasses such as mining compasses and transits came with provisions for  auxiliary \ scopes to allow for shooting over the plate and for determining angles. (See example to right) Solar Instruments were developed in order to allow the operator or surveyor to better determine his location by using the sun and horizon as reference points. These were especially useful in areas where the magnetic deviation affected the needle compass bearing. Different variations on these themes were developed and each company or maker offered their own unique version.

These later job specific Surveying instruments were offered by manufactures like William Young, Gurley, and Keuffel & Esser, Buff, Berger, Warren & Knight, Lietz, Dietzgen, Sala, and many others. These well known names represent the larger makers but many examples by smaller makers are known as well.

To see vintage surveying instruments by well known makers such as Gurley, Thaxter, Queen, Lietz, Dietzgen, Keuffel & Esser, Buff, Berger, Heller & Brightly and a host of others that I have sold in the past, here is a link to the Surveying Instrument Past Sales Archive Page on our informational sister site www.AntiqBuyer.com.