Surveying – Richards, Cranston, & Chapman, LLC

Based primarily in Rockland, our practice specializes in boundary surveying, retracement, and resolving difficult boundary-line issues. We combine extensive historical records, careful field investigation, modern measurement, and impartial professional judgment to help clients reach sound results and avoid litigation whenever possible.

Beachfront properties and shoreline conditions at Goose Rocks Beach in Maine — Coastal properties require careful consideration of shoreline conditions, historic evidence, and changing land-water boundaries.

Notable Surveyors

George Washington

An enduring example of surveying in early American history.

Abraham Lincoln

Before entering national politics, Abraham Lincoln worked as a surveyor in Illinois.

Henry David Thoreau

Alongside his writing and naturalist work, Henry David Thoreau was a skilled professional land surveyor in Concord, Massachusetts.

Presidential Surveyors and Their Instruments

Surveying shaped the early lives and practical outlook of several American presidents. These illustrations, artifacts, and monuments reflect that connection to the profession.

Illustration of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln each using historic surveying instruments — George Washington and Abraham Lincoln depicted as surveyors

Historical illustration of Abraham Lincoln seated beside surveying equipment — Lincoln the Surveyor

Rittenhouse-style surveying compass and staff associated with Abraham Lincoln — Abraham Lincoln’s surveying compass

Statue of Thomas Jefferson holding a plan beside a historic surveying instrument — Thomas Jefferson represented with a survey plan and instrument

Historic surveying compass displayed in its fitted wooden case and associated with Thomas Jefferson — Thomas Jefferson’s surveying compass

Our Services

Boundary surveys and retracement
Subdivisions
Topographic surveys
Mortgage inspections
Site plans
Flood zone work

A Typical Boundary Survey or Retracement

Deed research and determination of the historic chains of title for the landowner’s tract and adjacent tracts
Field reconnaissance and investigation for boundary evidence
Survey traversing and measurement of the evidence on the ground
Reduction of field measurements onto a base plan
Application of the rules of boundary retracement and deed construction
Drafting of a final survey plan
Setting of boundary monuments

Care, Professionalism & Impartiality

This is a substantial body of work and must be completed with care and professionalism under the rules regulating the profession and the legal guidelines governing boundary surveying.

When a landowner requests our services, we consider it an honor. We apply all our skill and resources to provide thoughtful consultation and a quality work product. We work hard to navigate difficult boundary matters with our clients and their neighbors, seeking a resolution that addresses the concerns of all parties. We are not “hired guns” for our clients; we hold to the ethical responsibility of remaining impartial for the benefit of all landowners.

When boundary conflicts cannot be resolved between neighbors, we work with our clients’ legal counsel to resolve the issues, including serving as expert witnesses in litigation when needed. We always work hard to keep our clients from reaching this last resort.

Don’s additional credential as a Licensed Forester (L.F.) is especially useful when retracing deeds that refer to historical natural evidence—an “old spruce tree,” a woodlot line, or another monument whose meaning depends on familiarity with forests and changing landscapes.

Historical Survey Archive

Donald R. Richards, P.L.S., L.F.
Richards, Cranston & Chapman, LLC

The archive preserves surveying records dating to the 1700s, including original field notes from the 1790s Northport survey conducted for General Henry Knox. The collection reflects the region’s historical ties to Knox’s extensive land holdings.

Using these records, the practice researched and drafted the original lotting map for Lincolnville, connecting early field evidence, deeds, and historical land divisions in a single working record.

The archive preserves work by these former surveyors and firms:

O. H. Tripp
H. P. Farrow
Edwin Rose
A. D. Blackinton
David Knowlton
Franklin Wood
Edward W. Coffin
Cothern & Cranston
Cothern & Chapman
Harold Brown

Additional plans and records by other surveyors are cataloged as the archive continues to grow.

Richards and Cranston plan showing original land grants and lotting in Lincolnville, Maine — Original Lincolnville lotting research and drafting

Open historic field book with handwritten survey notes and inserted record sheets — Historic field book and loose survey notes

Historic handwritten surveying field notes recording courses and distances — Historic courses and distances

Title page of the 1768 eighth edition of Geodaesia or the Art of Surveying by John Love — An eighteenth-century surveying text

Aerial Photos & Drone Services

Don has been designated by the court as an expert in aerial-photo evidence. Historical aerial photographs from the 1930s and 1940s can reveal former roads, shorelines, occupation, land use, and other evidence important to boundary analysis.

Drone flights provide both oblique and vertical photography, often capturing hundreds of photographs in a single flight. Specialized software stitches the images into mosaics or orthophotos. Orthophotos are corrected for lens distortion, camera tilt, parallax, and topography so they can support accurate measurement and mapping.

Oblique drone photograph of a Maine river, dam, bridge, and wooded shoreline — Oblique aerial view of a Maine river and dam

Drone photograph documenting a shoreline property, dam, roads, and neighboring parcels — Low oblique shoreline and site documentation

Vertical drone view of roads, buildings, parking, vegetation, and site access — Vertical aerial site mosaic source

Oblique view of a small wooded island with buildings and exposed rocky shore — Oblique photography shows the island landscape and its shoreline from an angle.

Near-vertical aerial view of a wooded island, buildings, and surrounding rocky shoreline — A view from above reveals the arrangement of buildings, trees, and exposed rock.

Overhead view of waterfront buildings, piers, boats, and road access — Waterfront infrastructure: piers, buildings, and access routes in one frame.

Snow-covered waterfront woodland, homes, and docks beside a sheltered cove — Seasonal conditions: snow and leafless trees change which ground features are visible.

Experience in Forensics

Forensic boundary work begins with collecting data, establishing facts, and giving courts clear, impartial information for boundary determinations. The analysis is guided by principles of law and the rules of retracement established by the courts.

Don’s expert-witness experience includes preparing affidavits and reports, participating in depositions, giving testimony, and creating illustrations that make complicated evidence understandable in court.

The primary goal is still to keep clients out of court. Thorough research, careful documentation, and early identification of the controlling evidence often make resolution possible before litigation becomes necessary.

Discuss Your Property

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