Surveyor’s Compass

ca 1800-1850

Like many surveyor's compasses made in New York in the first half of the 19th century, this one has an ornate floral design on its face. Unlike most American compasses of the period, however, the face reads clockwise, and there is no maker's signature. The donor believed that James Griswold used this compass and the associated chain, pins, tally, and drawing instruments while laying out the New York and Erie Railroad.