The rectangular survey system was devised in the 1700s as an alternative to the metes and bounds system that was brought to the Colonies from England. The system is precise, deliberate, patterned, and predictable. It is the system used throughout the United States after the Revolution, a mark that the U.S. was its own sovereign nation. The rectangular system is very formulaic and follows a very uniform pattern, unlike the metes and bounds system. Based on a grid system, each land description is easy to follow and plot.

This 2-hour workshop is designed to give participants hands-on experience reading land descriptions, plotting them on a worksheet, and tips for locating them on a map.