Latitude, longitude

In our previous issue of Auburn Engineering, we noted work that was being done on the border between Alabama and Florida – a line that has been debated for centuries. The original line, called the mound line, has been forgotten over the years, but is being rediscovered by Auburn civil engineering faculty member Larry Crowley and land surveyor and part-time instructor Milton Denny.

Using maps from 1854 and a United States Geological Survey digital quad sheet as a reference, Crowley and Denny calculated the mound locations. They took their data to the field, using a hand-held GPS to locate several mounds and conducted a workshop of six surveyor-led teams. A 124-mile segment of these mounds now identifies the Alabama-Florida boundary between the Conecuh and Chattahoochee rivers.

“Before the workshop, only one mound was known to have been located along this segment,” said Crowley. “Now, a total of 25 mounds have been marked.”

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