Label
Theodolite, 1898-1982
Buff & Buff Manufacturing Company
Boston, MA
Metal, glass, wood
Gift of the Vermont Agency of Transportation, 2011.6.1
Theodolites are surveyor’s tools, meant to measure the angle between two points – one on a vertical plane and one on a horizontal plane. They are crucial when taking precise measurements of a varying landscape, allowing for further mathematics that can lead to a more precise picture of a specific area. Theodolites date to at least the 16th century, and the word origin is unknown. The modern theodolite first appeared in 1725.
This theodolite, in itself a complicated and essential piece of technology, contributed to another technology story in the history of Vermont: it was used by the Vermont Agency of Transportation while laying out the interstate system, beginning in the 1960s.
Interstate construction in Vermont was sparked by the Federal Highway Act of 1956, and continued for another 20 years. (Arguably, it is still unfinished.) In total, 351 miles of highway were built in Vermont, changing the physical, cultural, and economic landscape of the state permanently. Better, faster travel to and from Vermont brought mixed blessings, opening the state up economically but permanently impacting the communities through which the highways traveled – and the communities it bypassed.