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Surveyor's Chain
Basic surveying devices and methods, including rope, poles, grape vines, and pacing, have
existed for many years, but most of the tools commonly associated with surveying were developed during the
1600s. Three types of instruments were unique to North America: the compass, the transit (used for measuring
straight lines), and the chain. The Gunter's Chain was used in America for nearly three hundred years and
left a permanent mark on the profession.
The job of a surveyor in the eighteenth century was to measure land to be transferred from
the crown to private ownership. When a warrant was issued from the secretary of state's office in
Williamsburg, the county surveyor would survey the designated tract, draw a plat (a map showing the
features of the land), and write a description of the land. Most surveyors learnd their trade through
an apprenticeship. County surveyors were appointed. Both surveyors and chainmen (those who held the
measuring chain) had to take an oath that they would be faithful, accurate, and would record their
results without favor.
During the 1700s and 1800s, Gunter's Chain was the standard for measuring distances and played a primary
role in mapping out America. The chain consisted of 100 links and its total length was 4 poles (66 feet).
Each link was connected to the next by a round ring. Eighty chains equaled one mile. Because the chains
were hand-made, their measurements were rarely exact. Although the Gunter's Chain was the primary tool of
surveyors to measure distance in North America from the 1600s to the end of the 1800s, it was eventally
replaced by a more sophisticated and accurate instrument, the surveyor's tape. Surveyors today use electronic
equipment.
The surveyor's chain pictured here was used by Peter McGee, Surveyor of Albemarle County, Virginia.
* * * * * * *
The following links include pictures and brief facts about the various instruments used to survey North
America:
http://www.measuringamerica.com/gallery.php
http://www.surveyhistory.org
http://web.a-znet.com/~aepalmer/Surveyor/surveyor.htm
This article was written by Lori Clock, elementary school teacher, La Mirada, CA.
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