The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1910-12-30
MASON AND DIXON LINE.
Historic Boundary Between Mary.
land and Pennsylvania.

= - >--H~S><A% A&AAes ~ a OA1 4AtA<9 htNl
is about one mile north of town,
and the fact that the land in this
immediate vicinity was included in
that under dispute 10 the original
grant, the following article will
prove of interest to our readers in
this locality. It will be remember
ed that few years ago the Legis
latures of Pennsylvania and Mary.
land made appropriations for the
resurvey of the historic boundary
line and the resetting Of the old
stones. The work was done and
all stones found were permanently
reset in cement. One of these
stones may be seen on the farm of
j. L. Stephens near town, an
other on the Buckley farm, north
of town, and one ON the farm of
John Sollars
One hundred and fifty seven
years ago on Tuesday, Nov. 15,
1853, Mason and Dixon began the
Isurvey of the boundary line be
tween Maryland and Pennsylvania. .
The King of England was in.
debted to Admiral Penn to the sum
of $4,000, and William Penn, on
the death of his father, inherited
1.-THE claim. At PENIS request
King Charles granted him, in pay.
ment of his claim, tract of 40, 900
square miles in America. In the
petition to the King, dated June.
1880, Penn asked for the territory
west of the Delaware River and
from the northern boundary of
Maryland to the north las far as
plantable." It was the largest
grant ever made to one man in
lAmerica.
The boundary of the colony, as
given in the charter, became the
lsubject of the most serious dispute.
and the matter was not fully settled
for hundred years.
|. The first survey to establish the
boundary and settle the dispute
was made by Charles Mason and
Jeremiah Dixon two English sur
veyors, who were brought to this
country by the heir of both parties
for that purpose. They arrived in
America ON November Is. 1853
and began that year the survey,
completing it in 1867.
Lord Baltimore had claimed that
the fortieth degree fell north oil
Philadelphia, whereas the King in
granting it supposed it would fall
at the head of Delaware Bay. |
Penn insisted that the line be fixed
where it was supposed to be.
The charter says that the pro.
vince granted to Penn was to ex-
tend five degrees westward from
the Delaware River, and "the said |
lands to be bounded on the north |
by the beginning of the third and
fourth degrees of northern latitude,
and on the south by a circle drawn
at twelve miles distance from New
Castle northward and westward |
unto the beginning Of northern
latitude.
just what the "beginning of the
third and fourth" and the "be
ginning of the fourth degree meant
was not clear.
Penn finding that the fortieth
degree fell too far north, to give
him a harbor on the Chesapeake.
contended that the s.beginning oil
the fortieth degree, did not mean
the fortieth degree, and he won in
part; but it cost him dearly, for
although the charter set the bound
airy at the "bs ginning of the forty.
third Degree" which would have
thrown it north of Buffalo, it was
finally fixed at the forty second
degree.
In 1882 the heirs of Penn and
Baltimore signed an agreement
that the line between Pennsylvania
and Maryland be run due west
from the tangent of the western
boundary of Delaware with the arc
twelve miles from New Castle.
Mason and Dixon surveyed it west
for 244 miles, and at the intervals
of mile small cut stones were set
in the. ground; each stone had a i
large P cut on the north side, and
a Bon the south side. Every five
miles was placed large stone bear |
ing the Pennsylvania coat of arms
on one side and that of Lord Balti-
more on the other. These stones
were cut in England and afterwards
brought to the colonies.