Legal Definitions - merestone

Merestone

A merestone is an archaic term for a physical stone used to mark the boundary or dividing line between two pieces of land. These stones were intentionally placed to provide a durable and visible indicator of property limits, often referenced in historical deeds or land surveys.

Here are some examples illustrating the application of this term:

• Imagine two neighboring farms, "Green Valley Farm" and "Sunny Meadow Ranch," whose property lines were established in the early 19th century. Their original land deeds might describe a shared boundary as running "from the old oak tree to the large granite merestone, thence along the creek." This specific stone would have been a crucial, tangible marker defining where one farm ended and the other began.

  This example illustrates a merestone as a historical, physical marker used to delineate agricultural property lines, as referenced in legal documents like deeds.

• During a historical research project, a team uncovers a colonial-era land grant from the 1700s detailing a vast tract of wilderness. The document describes the property's perimeter by referencing natural features and specific man-made markers, stating, "beginning at the confluence of the two rivers, thence eastward to a merestone set by Surveyor General Thompson, thence north to the highest peak."

  This demonstrates how merestones were used in early land grants to define extensive parcels of land, often in conjunction with natural landmarks, serving as key reference points for surveyors and landowners.

• Two modern homeowners are involved in a dispute over a property line that has been unclear for decades. While examining old county records, they discover a plat map from the late 1800s that references a "merestone at the southeast corner of the original Miller parcel." If this stone can be located on the ground, it would serve as a vital piece of historical evidence, potentially resolving the contemporary boundary disagreement by pointing to the original intended property line.

  This example highlights the enduring significance of a merestone as a historical artifact that can provide crucial evidence for resolving present-day land boundary disputes, acting as a physical record of past surveys.