True Meridian 1849

True Meridian, Charleston, SC 

I spotted a discussion about this meridian marker on the Charleston History Facebook group and made it my goal to track it down this morning. It is in St. Lawrence Cemetery off upper Meeting St. near the water. Unfortunately I didn't bring my compass to confirm the settings. Heheh.

True MeridianThe true meridian is the plane that passes through true north poles and true south poles at the spot of the observer. The difference between true meridian and magnetic meridian is that the true meridian is fixed while the magnetic meridian is formed through the movement of the needle.^{[15][unreliable source]} True bearing is the horizontal angle between true meridian and a line.
Henry D. Thoreau classified this true meridian versus the magnetic meridian in order to have a more qualitative, intuitive, and abstract function. He used the true meridian since his compass varied by a few degrees. There were some variations. When he noted the sight line for the True Meridian from his family's house to the depot, he could check the declination of his compass before and after surveying throughout the day. He noted this variation down.^[16]

Doing an image search it appears there are many of these markers set up in the early to mid 1800's and they continue to be a curiosity. 

St. Lawrence Cemetery

St. Lawrence Cemetery, Charleston, SC 

The sky was so bright yesterday I couldn't resist taking a picture of the wrought iron cross at the entrance to St. Lawrence Cemetery. It is a dramatic sight. Some parts of the cemetery were still closed since the flooding and the main gates to Magnolia Cemetery are still closed.

In other news, the new Fargo series just started. Woohoo!

Cemetery Walking - Magnolia & St. Lawrence

Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston, S.C.

I woke up a couple of times to the sound of rain last night and this morning the skies were gloomy and perfect for a cemetery walk. By the time I pulled up to the gates at Magnolia Cemetery off upper Meeting St. this morning the sun was out and every scene had dramatic lighting. I roamed Magnolia visiting all my favorite spots and then did a quick walk through St. Lawrence Cemetery next door where the angel statue shot was taken.

This last shot made me smile. I have a couple of photographer friends (hi Leah and Kathy!) who frequently go to Magnolia Cemetery just to take pictures of birds. They never take pictures of the tombs or statues. Finding this fake bird in a tree made me feel like I was finally part of their club!

St. Lawrence Cemetery

St. Lawrence Cemetery, Huguenin Avenue, Charleston, S.C.

Isn't it beautiful? The giant metalwork cross makes for a dramatic entrance to St. Lawrence Catholic Cemetery. There isn't much to find online about St. Lawrence Cemetery. If you drive up Meeting St. until you cross the railway track there is a little sign pointing to the right directing you to Magnolia Cemetery. The entrance to St. Lawrence is on the right. You can walk through from Magnolia.

It is a wonderful place to spend a few hours with a camera. Usually it's just me and a couple of confederate history buffs hanging out there. They worship at the Hunley submariner's tombs while I hop over tombs taking pictures of the angel's faces.