Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1871-07-26
HISTORICAL "REMINISCENCES.

A glance at the map of Pennsylva.
MIA, Delaware and Maryland, shows a
half circle, commencing on the Della.
ware river and running through Della
ware and Chester counties, in this
State, until it strikes the boundary
line between this State and Maryland.
Every geographer knows that this
peculiar somi.circle line exists, but
few know when or how it was done.
A writer in the Cecil md Demo.
crdt, who is contributing "Events, Incl
dents, and Characters" in the early
settlements of those States, gives the
following in relation to the establish,
ment of the half moon line. He says /:
A passenger in the cars from Elkton
to Newark may notice in field to
his left, about a hundred yards from
the railroad, and near maple tree
opposite the Yellow House, cut gran.
ite stone, with a smaller dark one
close on the south side of it. This is
the tangent point made by the divis.
ional line between Delaware and Mary.
land, touching the circle of twelve
miles radius drawn from the steeple
Of the Court House at New Castle.
1t is an important point in the his.
tory of Maryland, and is the boundary
which settled the long controversy be-
tween Lord Baltimore and the heirs
of William Penn, in accordance with
the decision of Chancellor Hardwicko
and the agreement ofthe Proprietaries.
The grant of Lord Baltimore, which
was some fifty years earlier than that
of Penn, was bounded by the Della
ware Bay on the east, and on the
north by the fortieth degree of north
latitude, clearly comprehending all of
what is now called the State of Della.
ware, and up the Delaware up to the
city of Philadelphia.
Through the whole controversy it
is easy TO perceive that Penn had the
more influence at Court, and small
matters were urged with effect against
Lord Baltimore. There was said to
be previous grant of ten miles around
New Castle to the Duke of York, and
the words hdctends incultd, hitherto
uncutivated, in the charter of Mary
land, it was alleged, could not apply
TO land which had been settled by u
Christian people, and there had been
Swedish settlement at Fort Chris
tana. The ten miles around New
Castle were 10 be measured by ra-
dius of twelve miles from Now Castle,
and the old surveyors, Archibald Nc
Lean, John Lukens and Jonathan
Hall, after opening q UiSto, rs they
called il, proceeded to measure with
chain, the radius Of twelve miles, and
fixed it at the point where the stones,
above referred to, now stand. This
measure was made about 1850 to 1763.
1t was determined that the due west
line from Cape Henlopen should ter
inmate ut the distance of thirty.four
miles three hundred and nine pcrches,
and at that point the tangent or divis-
ion line between the provinces should
be drawn straight up the peninsula to
the tangent point aforesaid The
land was then covered with dense
forest, and after much labor and OK.
pcnsc u vista was opened through the
whole distance of some eighty miles
Tho parties in controversy entered
into an agreement to refer the matter
to commissioners to be appointed by
them respectively, and they recon-.
mcnded that said commissioners take
to their aid and assistance Charles
Mason and jeremiah Dixon, two Eng
lish mathematicians and surveyors,