The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1908-11-26
Pennsylvania Disputed Lines.

When William Penn landed on
the shores of the Delaware, IN
1852, there to found the city Of
Philadelphia the year following,
the site was claimed by Lord Bal
timore as within the boundaries
Of Maryland. This claim was a
long time IN litigation and is
classed by Mr.. Hampton l. Car
son, in an address before the
Historical Society of Pennsylva-
MIA, as one If the dramatic fea
lures in the history of our State.
Had the English High Court OF
Chancery decided IN favor of
Lord Baltimore aud against vii.
liam Penn the latter would still
have had a considerable "Penn
sylvania" north of Maryland as
the charter described, but If
Maryland's northern boundary
ran TO what is now the vicinity of
Bristol, as Lord Baltimore claim
ed, the colony of Penn would
have los all of what is now Phlla.
delphia County and the larger
part of the southern tier OF Pedn.
sylvania counties clear to ITS
western boundary.
This was one of the several
claims which the peaceably dis
posed William Penn and his sue
.cessors had to fight ia court.
Had he ia led we would hardly
now be celebrating Founders
Week, for though the city was
established IN disputed territory,
and before the dispute was set
tied, it is impossible to imagine
the Philadelphia of to day wholly
divorced from Pennsylvania. An.
other claim which Mr.. Carson re.
minds us Penn mad to contest Is
that of Virginia, which claimed
with the pan handle IN which The
city of Wheeling Is now located,
a width TO the eastward which
would have made it include the
present southwest counties OF
Pennsylvania, and all the area
now included within the limit Of
greater Plttsburg. What a loss
TO Penn's possessions this sub
traction would have been, but in
this, as in hls contention with
Maryland, William Penn won hls
case.
A third claim which Penn sue
cessfully contested is that of Cor
nechcut to all that part Of the
! present State of Pennsylvani;
that lies north of the forks Of the
Susquehanna. An examination
OF the map VIII show that this IN
cludes nearly one half the State
Had it succeeded, the cities o.
Wilhamsport, Scranton, Wilkes
Barre Pittston and Franklin, anC
much rich coal, lumber and ol
territory, would have been los
to us. A later claim by New
York to the projection whlcl
! gives US a short Lake Erie bound
any and the site of the city o
Erie was also decided in favor o
Pennsylvania.
These are, indeed, dramat,
features in our history, tor ha(
the controversies Of which thes,
sections of the State were th,
subject been decided against us
Pennsylvania would not have beer
mu3h larger than the State o
New Jersey, and about as Ions
and narrow, and It's four leadlug
cities would have been Harris
ourg, Reading, Lancaster ant
Johnstown. The early bound
arles Of the colonies were deter
mined often by very slight cir
cumstances. The grants wer
made without very precise know
edge of what was being granted
they overl1pped each other, an,
IN the end resulted IN thlrteel
colonies Of very unequal areas
That Pennsylvania was able T.
| emerge from the boundary con
troversies as one Of the create
colonies with an area having
greater potential natural wealtl
than any other, is due to the per
sistehcy with which the Quaker
Penn, maintained his rights a
he understood them, and wa
supported in the contention b.