Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1886-03-18
THE STATE LINE.
HISTORY OF ITS LOCATION.
"hen ana How and by Whom the Limo
Between Tennessee and vir-
ginia Was Run.


on the history of the State line betweel
Tennessee and Virginia which we repro
duce below.
l see that there is bill or resolution
before the General Assembly of Virgins
to establish the State line between til,
States of Virginia and Tennessee. As thi,
is question that our county and Stat,
have some interest in, | shall try ant
give a short history of the final settle
ment of this State line question. First
The parallel of thirty. six degrees, thirty
minutes north latitude is designated il
the charter of Charles II and Lords Pro
prietors of Carolina, made in 1865, as the
northern boundary of North Carolina
The Lords Proprietors of North Carolina
and the Lords Proprietors of Virginia
did, in 1927, with the ratification and ap
proval of King George ii, by solemn
compact establish and confirm said paral
lei OF 360 30/ north latitude as the boun.
Diary line between said two colonies.
Said parallel of $50 3V continued to be
the recognized, established and undisput-
ed boundary between said two colonies,
until the out breaking of the war Of
American independence. In the year 1776
the State of Virginia, as an act of sover-
eighty in her constitution "ceded and
forever confirmed" to North Carolina,
then also a sovereignty, all claims she
(the State of Virginia) had to the terrific.
ry south of 36o 80, contained in the
aforesaid Charter of King Charles II.
In 1716 360 3O/ was firmly and definite.
ly established and confirmed by Virginia
and North Carolina, then sovereign
States, as the boundary between them.
Accordingly, Virginia and North Carroll
ma, through Legislatures in 1779, appoint
ed commissioners TO extend the line.
These commissioners were to begin
where Fry and jefferson, and Weldon
and Cherton ended their work.
Thos.. Walker and David Smith were
the commissioners for Virginia; Richard
Henderson and W. B. Smith for North
Carolina. In September 1779 the COM
missioners met at Steep Rock creek. Not
being able to find where Fry and Jeffer-
son ended their work. They ascertained
as they thought, the parallel of $50 3O'
by calculations, and commenced running
the line due west on that parallel. But
after running this line as far as Carter S
valley, 45 miles west of Steep Rock
creek, the North Carolina commissioners
became dissatisfied, believing the line too
far south. Not being able to agree, the
Virginia commissioners continued their
line to the Tennessee river, while the
North Carolina commissioners fixed and
run q lire two miles north of the other,
from Steep Rock creek to the Cumber-
land Mountain.
North Carolina, in 1889 or 1870, ceded
Tue territory, now Tenn, TO the United
States. After Tennessee became a SOW.
ereign State, Virginia herself by resolu.
ton OF the Virginia Legislature, adopted
January 10th, 1900, appointed commits.
sioners to meet commissioners of the
State OF Tennessee to adjust all differ
ences concerning said boundary line, and
establish one or the other of the lines, or
run any other line which might be
agreed on.
The Legislature of Tennessee, in 1901
authorized the Governor TO appoint three
commissioners, TO act in conjunction
with the Virginia commissioners, to set
tie and designate the true line between
the aforesaid States. These commission
ers not being able to agree on either the
Walker or Henderson lines, unanimously
agreed, in order to end all controversy
respecting the subject, to run due west
line equally distant from both, beginning
on the summit of the mountain, known
by the name of the White-top Mountain,
where the north eastern corner of Ten
nessee terminates, to the top of the Cum
berland Mountain, where the south cas-
tern corner of Virginia terminates, which
is hereby declared, say the commission
ers, to be the true boundary line between
the said States. This line was run under
the direction Of the joint commissioners,
keeping at an equal distance from the
lines called Walkers and Hender.on's,
the line being marked with five chops in
the form of diamond. Said commits
sioners and surveyors made q report to
their respective States, signed by all six
OF the commissioners and the two survey
ors set out the above agreement in full.
On the 22d of January, 1903, the General
Assembly of the Commonwealth of Vir-
ginia, after setting out the above unani-
nous agreement and report of the com
and surveyors, in q preamble
declared and enacted that the said boun.
Diary line between this State (Virginia)
and the State of Tennessee, as laid down
fixed and ascertained by the said com
missioners above named in their said re-
port above recited, shall be and is hereby
fully and absolutely, to all intents and
purposes whatsoever, ratified, established
and confirmed on the part of this Com
as the true, certain and real
boundary between the said States. 1t was
further enacted that this "act should
commence and be in force from and after
the passage of like law on the part of
the State of Tennessee.
On the Sd day of November, 1903, the
General Assembly of the State of Tennes-
see passed law with the same preamble
and the very same words as were contain
ed in the Virginia act, ratifying, estab-
fishing and confirming the line laid down
by the said last named commissioners as
the true, certain and real boundary line
between the said States.
Virginia, on the 18th day of March,
1856, passed an act by her General As
sembly, reciting in said act, improvement
of the country, natural waste and de-
stsuction, and other causes, has become
indistinct, uncertain, and to some extent
authorizing the Governor TO
appoint commissioners to again run and
mark said line, sin conjunction with
Tennessee commissioners and where the
old marks were gone, TO cause monu-
ments OF stone to be permanently planted
on the line"
The Tennessee Legislature, on the 1st
day of March, 1853, passed an act author
izing the Governor to appoint commits
sioners to act in conjunction with those
Of Virginia in running and re.marking
said line. The Tennessee act and pream-
BILE is a literal copy of the Virginia act,
with necessary change of names.
The last named commissioners, ap-
pointed by both States, re-run and mark
ed the old compromise line run in 1902
and ratified by Virginia and Tennessee in