What is this thing?

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[Solved] Anyone know what this is? They are embedded in the sidewalks around the city (programming.dev)

submitted 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) by catch22@programming.dev to c/whatisthisthing@lemmy.world

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Any ideas?

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[–] solidgrue@lemmy.world 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@sh.itjust.works 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 🥲