The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1906-12-20
A HISTORY OF MASON AND
DIXON BOUNDARY LINE
Before the Line was FianalIy Settled
Many Conflicts Occurred.

/ Bennett Mathews, professor ofpetro-
graphy at Johns Hopkins Universe
ty andassistant state geologis t.
In part, he said:
The discussion of the Mason and
Dixon Line controversy is particu-
larly appropriate, as the work of
the resurvey.of this famous historic
line under the joint auspices of the
States of Maryland and Pennsvl-
vania has recently been completed
and the final report is now in the
hands of the commissioners.
The question of the title and
proprietorship were settled to the
apparent satisfaction of the original
owners by the running of the orig
inal Mason end Dixon line, but
the controversies regarding the
justice of the final decision are
still revived, at least in historical
circles, and citizens of Pennsyl-
vania and Maryland now and
then show something ofthe warmth
in discussion which led their an
Cestors TO do more violent deeds.
Exhaustive study has shown clear
" that neither side has been en-
tirely free from sharp practices,
and that each contestant had
/ grounds to make the solution of
the question of boundaries appear
simple and favorable to himself.
The problem of determining the
relative rights of the contestants
is by no means simple, as it in
wolves many historical questions of
breadth and refinement.
While the proprietors in the
early days were attempting to
settle their contest by wordy dis
cussion their adherents in Ameri-
ca were using the forCeful weapons
of the frontiersmen to determine
the limits Of their respective iuris
dictions. Border conflicts became
SO serious that in 1854 the king in
council ordered the governors to
suppress the border tumults, to
grant no lands i'll the disputed ter
ritory and to establish a temporary
line during the pending of the
chancery suit. The running Of
temporary line was commenced
late in 1888 and finished in the
following year. This line, which
has been known as the "tempor-
airy line" extended 81 miles west
ward from Philadelphia and con-
sisted of several parts. East of
the Susquehanna River the line
was run by representatives Of both
parties but west of this point it
was run by the Pennsylvanians
alone, as the Maryland commits
sioners would not participate.
This line was an east-and- west line
situated IS "a miles south of Phil
adelphia from northeast corner of
Maryland to the Susquehanna
and IS II miles south of Phila-
delphia west of the Susquehanna
River. 1t was approximately a
straight line running parallel and
little north of the present boun-
dairy.
The decision of the chancery
case in 1880 occasioned renewed
activity in America. The prob
lens presented were exceedingly
difficult, but the surveyors under
took the work with a will, begin
ming at Penwick Island, the point
supposed to represent Cape Hen
lopen, which was enormously plac-
ed in the old Dutch map used at
the hearing Of 1865, and running
their line due west aCosss the pc
ninsula of the East Shore. The
question arose regarding the west /
ern end of the line, and this was
referred to the lord chancellor. A
year or two later, through the ac-
tivity Of the colonists and the re-
sistance of Frederick, Lord Balti- |
more, the settlement was again de-
layed until the 5th of July, 1850, !
by voluntary agreement, commis-
sioners and surveyors took up the
work of running the boundaries in
the fall of the same year. Begin.
ming at the middle DOint of the