True North Meridian Stones

Original Meridian Stones were preserved during the entire redo of the Courthouse Square, they are now protected and highlighted by stones (the large square, then small square around the meridian markers).  The new white granite stones were brought in from Mt. Airy and laid between the two stones to further highlight this now unusual site as there are very few left.

Side note:  A meridian line is a line that indicates, “true north” (where the North Pole is geographically), as opposed to “magnetic north,” which is aligned with the Earth’s magnetic field. If you were to use a compass –or pull out your smartphone and open your compass app –that compass (digital or physical) would show you magnetic north. The stones were measured and placed accordingly to create a line that demarcates true north.