The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1905-09-07
washington I

tween the two states gives now interest
TO the famous Mason n Dixon line,
which has Mayed an important part
In the history OF the country. The
work OF remarking this ancient boun-
dairy was carried on under the direction
% DIR. william II. Clark OF the Mary
land geological bureau and the secre-
itary Of internal Affairs OF Pennsylvania.
The Pennsylvania legislature In 1855
appropriated $1,000 TO repair and reset
the monuments on the boundary line
between this commonwealth n the
adjacent state of Maryland on the
south In 1900 the legislature OF
Maryland made a like appropriation OF
$4,000 TO carry on Its share OF the work.
Surveying parties were sent into tho
field In 1898 and the major part OF the
work was done some i've years ago,
but the commission encountered unex-
pected difficulties In h search for
some OF the original marking stones
and the task was not completed and
reported TO the governors OF the two
states until this year.
Mason and ptxon's line received It's
name from the original surveyors.
charles Dixon and Alexander Dixon.
They were sent TO America from Lon-
don In iT63 to lay down the boundary
between the estates of Lord cccilus
calvert and william Penn. to avert
what at one time threatened 10 be a
civil war bet the followers OF the
two great m holders.
J The surveying was begun I'm lTGt
aud pursued until stopped by the In
dams at Dunkard creek. now In the
state OF West Virginia. In the autumn
OF 1851. Through h greater part OF
the distance from the eastern end OF the
dine To- Dunkard creek. ga miles west
OF Delaware. the line was marked BY
stones one mile apart. In which "a
letter 'P" was cut In the north side
and the letter M" I'm the south side.
Al each ave mile mark a stone was
placed with the arms of Penn engraved
ON the north side and those OF Calvert
on the south side. Fortunately for
postcrity. the original surveying party
ran the line by the stars and did not
depend upon the fluctuations OF the
magnetic needle. II IL had been sur
vcyed BY n compass In 1900 IL would
have shown n deviation or at least W
miles and were tho line To be run over
again at the present time with an un-
corrected compass. according 10 the
records OF the original survey. the de-
Walton would reach about nineteen
miles south OF where IL now IL and the
rich coal mines OF the Maryland Gun
ties would belong to Pennsyivania. The
later surveyors o discovered the
trick OF their predecessors n followed
the same course.
The agreement which furnished the
basis OF the original survey was made
between the c~olonists OF Penn ~
those OF Calvert and was contained In
the charter given by King Charles III.
10 William Penn In 1881. A semi circle
with n twelve mile radius was 10 be
drawn around the OWE OF New Castle.
Del, and beginning at the Delaware
river and extending north and west. A
right line was TO be run from Cape
Heniopen on The coast or New Jersey,
due west TO n middle point OF the
peninsula between the C~heasnpcakc
and Delaware bays. From this point a
meridian line was TO be run due north
80 as To form n tangent with h semi
circle drawn around New Castle. From
the point where the tangent touched
the circle the meriden was To run due
north until Il reached the latitude OF a
point fifteen miles south OF Philadel-
phia. From this point "A line unnin
due west was to be the boundary be-
tween the two estates.
According 20 h C kept By the
original surveyors the work necessary
10 establish these several points wa
accomplished with great difficuIty
through the forests and marshes across
the intervening rivers. IL consumed
three years, beginning with 1890. to &s-
tab,ish the line across che peninsula
uG1 10 TX knc t0IkchN HoiAAs AHNhA Wv
London surveyors took up the work.
Nearly n year mere was TO
Jakc sure of the latitude of h point
nftccn miles south OF Philadelphia.
FINALLY the point was established where
ihc three orner OF the states OF Della
ware. Pennsylvania and Maryland
iceci. and this point was duly marked
b. q suitable stone and the survey OF
The celebrated Mason and Dixon line
WAS begun in the sumner OF 1894.
That year the line was run ms
partialIy marked TO the SusQuehanna
river. The next year IL was continued
10 the Allegheny river and a little FUR
Their To the westward. but by a decree
of the Indians IL was brought abruptly
10 n stop, and the surveyors returned
10 philadelphia.
In tSs9 "A desire to test the survey
took shape and the legislatures OF the
three s..tcs interested made a%ppropria-
tIons ana appointed commissioners TO
perform the work The SURVEY was
placed In the hands OF OF Colo 81 James
II. Graham OF the United states topo-
graphical survey. Colonel Grahars
went over the work and In the main
c~orroboratcd II. lie found that the
radius OF twelve miles used To estab-
lIsh the arc or the circle was two feet
and four inches short n that the tan
gent point had been placed i5' feet too
far south. The corner stone of the
three states was reset according To- this
survey. and Maryland received l.SI
acrts 81 land as the result. Since then
there has been no effort seriously to
question the accuracy OF the original
IuryCy.
The mile stones used TO mark the
lo.a inry were brought from England.
srcrF.l and ready for setting up. The
labor oG transporting them over the
traCSless wilderness was found almost
incrrmountahlc n had To b. aban-
so.ci over n part OF the line. Where
T.. nos;s could not be- carried piles OF
stone four feet sluar and eight feet
l.lga were bailt In their place. and In
Eca.s instances wooden posts were used
81 spgac OF the inaccessible hills al
western Maryland. The marking posts
were about tvclve inches squar" and
yngied ga length from three TO i've feet.
Thn stones are oolite n are supposed
To- have been qunrricd near Portsmouth,
England.
T'hc work OF restoring the old mark
in-s. and. where they could not be
=, covered. OF setting up iron posts. was
entrusted Ia W. g.. HodgkIns of the
coast and geological survey. Mr.. Hodg-
Iins and his assistants had many
strange experiences In their recovery ol
some OF The missing mile stones. Two
OF thG crowasioncs. oS the nv--milc
markers were called. were found serv-
sls. as door steps OF the Mutual Rights
church, a queer old ous of worship
on Licking creek near Hancock. Md.
The Surveyors replaced them with
Maryland stone at the church and set
them nm ucaln I'm their original places.