Figure 44. — Wooden surveying compass made and sold by Thomas Greenough. 

 Made of hickory, it is 11 in. long and has a diameter of 5^2 in. Compass card 

 is of paper. Allegedly, this compass was used by Joseph Frye for surveying 

 his land grant in what is now Fryeburg, Maine, in 1762. Loaned to the U.S. 

 National Museum by Laurits C. Eichner of Clifton, New Jersey. USNM 

 315001. 



Five other surveying compasses made by Thomas Greenough 

 are known, and all are made of wood: the one in the Franklin 

 Institute is made of gum (fig. 43), one in Old Sturbridge is made of 

 maple, one in the Bucks County Historical collection at the Mercer 

 Museum is made of cherry, one owned by this writer is made of 

 basswood, and one on loan to the U.S. National Museum from 

 Mr. Laurits C. Eichner is made of hickory (fig. 44). 



The compass at the Mercer Museum forms part of the surveyor's 

 gear used to lay out the town of Weymouth, Massachusetts. The 

 example in hickory on loan to the U.S. National Museum, as is 

 usually the case with the compass cards of the Thomas Greenough 

 instruments, has the central ring printed in gilt, and the inscription 

 has turned black, making the inscription almost illegible. This 

 specimen was owned by Joseph Frye, who was given a land grant in 

 what is now Fryeburg, Maine, in 1762. He allegedly used this 

 compass for surveying that land. In 1783 he assembled a manu- 



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