Coatesville, Pennsylvania: The Stargazers' Stone
Important and historic rock, encircled by an enclosure of lesser rocks. Mason and Dixon used it as a reference base while plotting their famous nation-bifurcating line. A second stone (with a plaque) was placed near the road in 2013.
- Address:
- 899 Stargazers Rd, Coatesville, PA
- Directions:
- On the right side of Stargazers Rd a couple hundred yards north of its junction with Hwy 162/Embreeville Rd. Set back a little way from the shoulder, where a well-manicured lawn meets the tree line. Look for a small enclosed area made of upright rocks.
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A stone with a plaque has been placed beside the stone house at the corner of Stargazers Road and Embreeville Road. It references a square stake in the street marking the original location of the astronomical observatory. Maybe they're trying to keep people from wandering around private property?
[Dennis Harney, 04/17/2018]
Found The Stargazers' Stone! I've been driving past it for a while.
[Roadtripperer, 07/12/2015]Although it sounds like something from Native American times, the Stargazers' Stone was chosen by surveyors Mason and Dixon in the 1760s as a base point to plot the Mason-Dixon line, using star observations at night. The stone was arbitrary; they selected it because it was near a comfortable farmhouse and local taverns. And in fact the stone that you found isn't the Stargazers' Stone; it's the stone marker for the farmhouse (This is a common mistake). The Stargazers' Stone is about 100 yards further north on Stargazers' Road, behind some bushes and up a hill, in a cleared field surrounded by a low rock wall.
The stone is a walk away from the road. But it is in a private property field. If you drive slowly by you can take a picture of it.
[Kathy Booher, 05/27/2014]Nearby Offbeat Places
Chef's Diner, Where "The Blob" Was Filmed, Downingtown, PA - 5 mi.
National Iron and Steel Heritage Museum, Coatesville, PA - 6 mi.
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This bogus stone, placed in 2013, is nowhere near as interesting to look at as the real stone, placed in 1764, which is a couple hundred yards north on Stargazer Rd.