Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1895-01-26
E,scTs ABOUT COUNTIES.


Imaginary Lines and Not Natural Bounda-
ries Used TO Mark Most Of Them.
Few even Of the New England states
have made use of natural features for
county boundaries British kings set
the fashion in the New World of mark
ing political divisions by imaginary
lines, and the fashion has been followed
faithfully in states old and new. Its
final development is found in the west
ern states and territories, where nature
boundaries, mountain ranges and rivers
are neglected FOR the sake of the paral-
lels and meridians. Maine, whose coun-
ties are as irregular i'll shape as any in
the world, has not made use OF natural
landmarks to any considerable extent.
Vermont and New Hampshire have here
and there used mountain ranges and
streams for county boundaries. Massa-
ohusetts and Connecticut have disregard
ed natural boundaries in great degree.
Even the great Connecticut river flows
across counties and is u boundary line
only between parts of Middlesex and
New London counties i'll Connecticut.
Rhode Islands chief county boundaries
are imaginary lines.
Massachusetts has two island coun-
ties, Dukes and Nantucket. Island coun-
ties occur also in New York and Wash
ington, but not elsewhere, though the
larger part of Door county, Wis, is an
island in Lake Michigan. Washington S
island county bears the name of Island
and is surrounded by the waters of Pu-
get sound. Names counties average
nearly 500 square miles each il area
and there are several each of which is
larger than the state of Rhode Island.
New York has few natural county
boundaries save in the lake regions and
along the Hudson. New Jersey has arti-
fetal boundaries for many counties, bat
Pennsylvania has used mountains and
rivers in many instances. Delaware has
used small streams to bound her coun,
ties and even her townships, or hun
dreds, as they are called. Maryland
Virginia and West Virginia, having
plenty of streams and mountain ranges,
use such natural features for county
boundaries Virginia's counties are nm
usually small in both area and popula
ton. Natural boundaries arc usual il
tho Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama,
but Mississippi has many imaginary
county lines, and her counties are notch
ed in way to suggest that they were
mado with view to the production Oh
one of those wooden puzzle maps that
arc held together by the notches. Louisi-
ana, Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky
have the characteristic rectangular
county forms with many imaginary
boundary lines, though creeks and riv-
ers are used to some extent in Kentucky
and Tennessee. Florida has boundary
: lines Of each sort, and so has Texas,
save in the northwest where natural
boundaries arc almost entirely disre-
garded. Buchel county, Tex. is right
angled triangle aud perhaps the only
ono in the United States.
The states Of the middle west have
comparatively few natural county
boundaries, and those Immediately be
You'd the Mississippi almost disregard
landmarks in the choice of county lines,
tho counties being piled mathematically
tier on tier. Even the great river Platte
flows across Nebraska much of its way
through counties.
The Rocky mountain states, unable Il
disregard the stern necessities of great
rivers and almost impossible mountain
ranges, have accepted these natural fea
tures as county lines, though the Mis-