Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-16


would have to buy Maryland hay for his
cattle and buy Pennsylvania cattle to eat
his hay in the barn. Of course the letter
was not enforced; but to cut the Gordian
knot required the united efforts of the State
Live Stock Sanitary Boards of Maryland
and Pennsylvania, of the international Btu
reau of Animal Industry at Washington, and
of three or four other departments.
A NUMBER of towns and villages in the
4 United States are situated on State
boundary lines. The names of some of these
are formed on the model of what Lewis Car
roll called "portmanteau words. Delmar
and Marydell, for example, are on the line
between Maryland and Delaware. Pen Mar
is on the Pennsylvania and Maryland line.
Moark is named from Missouri (Mo.) and
Arkansas (Ark.). Texarkana is partly in
Texas and partly in Arkansas. 1lliana is on
or near the Indiana line. State Line, which
is half in Connecticut and half in New York,
with numerous instances of the sort in other
States, is self explanatory name.
Other border line towns whose names do
not indicate their position are Port Chester
New York and Connecticut), Blackstone
Massachusetts and Rhode Island), Westerly
Rhode Island and Connecticut), Kansas
City missouri and Kansas, Guthrie and
Fulton leach partly in Kentucky and partly
Indiana and Ohio), and Great Falls (New
Hampshire and Maine). What is virtually
one town on the border boundary of Tenn
essee and Virginia is legally known as Brls-
tol on the Tennessee side and Goodson on
the Virginia side. A number of smaller
towns might be added to the list.
Queer Shaped b. undaries
THERE are eccentricities in State lines as
we'll as in those which limit the confines
of the United States. Thus the line that
separates Delaware from Pennsylvania
(Newcastle and Chester Counties respec-
tively) suddenly curves upward and forms
a semicircle just above the ancient town of
Newcastle.
The explanation may be found in history.
At the time Delaware was set out there were
few points of latitude and longitude def
nitely established in the Colonies; SO that
boundaries were generally expressed, not by
latitude and longitude, but by reference to
some known location. In the deed by which
Delaware was transferred there was coded
all the land for twelve miles round New
castle, together with certain other areas. In
establishing the boundaries of the present
State of Delaware this description was taken
literally, ana part OF a Circle, W1tn the cen
ter at Newcastle, was surveyed upon a
twelve-mile radius.
No other State has an arc in its boundary
line; but many of the counties of Kentucky
and Tennessee do. Warren County, Tenne-
see, is almost a complete circle. In many in
stances counties formerly circular have been
expanded into irregular polygons.
Two curious irregularities may be noted
in the dividing line between Massachusetts,
and Connecticut. One occurs at Cranky
Township, little northwest of Hartford,
the other at Enfield Township, on the Con-
necticut River south of Springfield. mas
much as the line is purely imaginary one,
the reason for these irregularities does not
lie on the surface; in fact, you must seek it
far down in the deeps of the human heart.
1t happened that these spots belonged in
colonial days to farmers who had a senti-
mental preference for Massachusetts, over
Connecticut, and, when the boundary line
was being adjusted, fought for their prefer
ences. The controversy began in 1713 and
lasted for more than century. Up to the
time of the Revolution both Colonies would
levy taxes and send notices of fast days and
elections to the occupants of the disputed
tracts. At last the farmers revolted and
declared their allegiance to Massachusetts,