Land Surveying - it is History
The Alabama Society of Professional Land Surveyors is a professional not for profit organization dedicated to the betterment of the Surveying Profession.
The history of Land Surveying in the U.S. stems back hundreds of years. Due to the nature of their work surveyors often see themshelves as students of history. The quote "following in the footsteps of the original Surveyor" is a term often used and always followed when properly performing boundary or retracement surveys. Terms such as "retracement" and "restoration of corners" allude to the necessity of detective work performed in surveyors work.
Where we're going
Surveying has traditionally been defined as both the science and the art of determining the relative positions of points on, above, or below the surface of the earth. It affects almost everything in our daily lives; from establishing boundaries, to the development of data for bridge construction, to the preparation of navigational maps. We are currently experiencing a revolution in the way data is collected, stored and presented with computer systems, optical systems and satellites all contributing to the growth of the profession. Because of this revolution and growing demand for responsible surveyors, the ASPLS has been intrumental in establishing a Surveying and Geomatics Sciences program at Troy University. The Geomatics program provides aspiring surveyors with a foundation to build upon when seeking to be a licensed professional.
Alabama's History
This brown ferruginous sandstone monolith, known as The Ellicott Stone is located in Mobile County, Alabama on the west side of the Mobile River North of Le Moyne, Alabama.
It is the initial point for all U.S. Public Land surveys in the Southern part of Alabama and Mississippi and the point of intersection of what is known today as the St. Stephens Meridian and the St. Stephens Baseline. From 1803 until after 1813, the U.S. Deputy Land Surveyors used the Ellicott Stone to lay out the townships and ranges.