Surveyor's Vernier Compass
name: label: maker
content: Simpson, Jonathan
notes: label: Description
content: This surveyor's vernier compass has an unusual and ornate face decorated with Masonic symbols. The variation arc on the north arm extends 10 degrees either way; the vernier is moved by rack and pinion, and reads to 10 minutes. A level vial is on the south arm. The "J. SIMPSON BARDSTOWN KY" inscription refers to Jonathan Simpson (1787-1863) who was was working in Kentucky by 1820, and who advertised in the Bardstown newspaper, <i>The Republican</i>, on October 3, 1844: "I shall keep on hand a constant supply of SILVERWORK of my own manufacture-warranted to be as good as any manufactured in the United States, and at the Cincinnati prices. My necessities compel me to labour as much as ever I did. I have a few Surveying instruments on hand, which I will sell very low."
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Kentucky, Bardstown
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Physical Sciences
label: See more items in
content: Surveying and Geodesy
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content: Measuring & Mapping
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Fordham University
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: PH.325686
label: catalog number
content: 325686
label: accession number
content: 257690
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Surveyor's Compass
label: Object Name
content: surveyor's compass
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: overall length: 15 1/4 in; 38.735 cm
label: Measurements
content: needle: 5 1/2 in; 13.97 cm
label: Measurements
content: overall: 8 7/8 in x 15 1/8 in x 6 1/2 in; 22.5425 cm x 38.4175 cm x 16.51 cm