this post was submitted on 08 Sep 2024
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What is this thing?

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Any ideas?

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[–] [email protected] 90 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Its called a benchmark, used by surveyors as a known point from which to take readings. We had a benchmark on the edge of of our property in the town where In grew up. It was a square, white marble column, like a truncated obelisk with the point cut off to make a 4" square flat top, buried at the roadside and standing a couple inches proud of the grass. It had a cross with a dot in the middle, and a geodetic ID number engraved on the top.

Nailed it with the lawnmower once or twice. That'd really put the Fear in you.

[–] TriflingToad 1 points 2 weeks ago

My grandma has a little concrete thing like that that marks where her property ends (or where 1 part of it ends, legally it's 2 rectangles sharing a side). Once after not mowing for like a month and a half I forgot it was there and totally ruined the freshly replaced blades 🥲