Key Biscayne in Miami-Dade County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

U.S. Coast Survey Base Marker

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, February 7, 2025

1. U.S. Coast Survey Base Marker Marker

Inscription.
In 1807, President Thomas Jefferson signed legislation calling for a survey of the United States’ coastlines. Initially coordinated by the U.S. Navy, the survey was taken over by the newly-formed, civilian U.S. Coast Survey team in 1832. Led by superintendent Alexander Dallas Bache, a U.S. Coast Survey team erected two base markers, each weighing over 3.5 tons, on Key Biscayne in 1855. The team established a 3.6-mile baseline that was used in conjunction with other surveys to create some of the first truly accurate maps of the Florida coastline and reefs. The north marker is located on land that is now within the Crandon Park Golf Course. The original south marker was on land 300 feet south of the Cape Florida Lighthouse, but had disappeared into the sea by 1883 as the shoreline eroded. In 1988, local professional land surveyors located remnants of the southern marker in 12 feet of water and the U.S. Air Force 301st Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron recovered it. The recovery effort helped to preserve some physical remains representing the Coast Survey team’s struggle to measure and map Florida’s coast.
A Florida Heritage Site

Erected 2017 by The Dade Heritage Trust, Inc. and the Florida Department of State;. (Marker Number F-992.)

Topics and series. This historical marker

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is listed in this topic list: Landmarks. In addition, it is included in the Lighthouses series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1807.

Location. 25° 40.456′ N, 80° 9.377′ W. Marker is in Key Biscayne, Florida, in Miami-Dade County. It can be reached from Crandon Boulevard 0.8 miles south of Arthur Lamb Jr. Road. Marker is located along the Historic Trail south of the entrance station to Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 7364 Crandon Blvd, Key Biscayne FL 33149, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in South Florida,

on the Gold Coast,

and in Greater Miami.

It is also in the American South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Cause for Conservation (approx. half a mile away); Road to Restoration (approx. half a mile away); Restoration Hardware (approx. half a mile away); Dade Heritage Trust’s Cape Florida Lighthouse Brick Program (approx. half a mile away); Let It Shine! (approx. half a mile away); The Archaeology of Key Biscayne (approx. half a mile away); Lighthouse Keeper's Cottage (approx. half a mile away); Escaping to Freedom in the Bahamas (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Key Biscayne.

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, February 7, 2025

2. U.S. Coast Survey Base Marker Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on February 17, 2025. It was originally submitted on February 17, 2025, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 214 times since then and 26 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 17, 2025, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida.