The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1919-05-22
LOOKING BACKWARD,
Historical Data of Pioneer Days p
Hickman and Fulton County,
Facts and Traditions Anent
the Hundreslth Anniversary
Of Hickman
Compiled by Judge b. t. Davis

Tho line between Kentucky ana TEN
n,.~See was surveyed I'm 1873. The ter
ritorv west of the Tennessee ana ken-
fuekv line WIS divided into sections
about the time or a short time after
the line. WAS originally surveyed hen~
lucky WIS originally a part OF The stare
If Virginia. and Tennessee a part OF
the state of North Carolina but the orr
FINAL grants fixed the line between the
state of Virginia and North carolina
upon the parellcl Of latitude 3" 'o
north of the equator. TIE iocatioh Oh
this linz. il determined by scientists
with suitable instruments. IL i ust-
ally determined by the observation of
the angle at which the stars reach
The highest point apparently in the rev
alufion of the earth. II IL learned
from history that the location OF this
line has been difficult
In the years IT79 and 1870 the line
between the states of Kentucky ana
Tennessee was run and marked by the
Virginia commissioner and il common
~ called Walker line. This line was
not run farther west than the GUNNER
land River Afterwards IL was discov-
cred that the Walker line as run and
marked was not upon the true paral-
lei Of 30 3O' hut that at the extreme
North Eastern corner of Tennessee this
Walkers line was on the parallel OF ~
degrees and ~ minutes or about seven
miles too far North. From this point
West To the Mississippi River the line
has been run and marked 10y commiSs-
| toner's and agreed upon and the line
rs marked 10y stones placed every nVe
miles has been made the line between
the States 10y acts of the legislature
Of each state.
~ lao l.4srfGfnfrrrp nf tho
state of Kentucky and Tennessee in
1919 commissioners were appointed To
run and mark the line from the Tenn
| e~See River 10 the Mississippi River.
| This line * known as the Alexander
| and MunSell line Even these COM
misSionerS failed To locate the line ex-
actly correct and later i'm 1853 and 1850
| the line from the Mississippi river To
the Tennessee River was run and mark
| ed with the stones now To be found
upon said line The records show that
| this line begins on the east bank of
| the Mississippi river M Compromise.
Kentucky and runs 1880 feet Ia the
west bank Of the Mississippi river.
The Mississippi river l. not crossed in
this distance. This il the State line in
Madrid Bend. This line AZ the MissiSs-
| ippi river when il begins again on the
east bank Of the river after the river
leaves Madrid Bend is some distance
| south of the line as run and marked
by Alexander and Munsell
From the Mississippi River east IN
near the bluffs there j. n wedge of land
that j. South of the Sections and North
Of the State line.
The Commissioners appointed i'm
1853 20 run and mark the line fixed
and established the legal line between
Kentucky and Tennessee. The line as
run and marked 10y them was never
exactly due East and is only for very
short distances exactly upon the par
alell of :;6 degrees and 30 minutes.
The stone at Jordan near the VI &
@. X. r.. placed as a mark for this line
i 1O>T9I feet from the Mississippi
River and l. . and 900 seconds North
of the true parallel of 30 degrees and
30 minutes North. Any school boy can
calculate how much land Kentucky
lost To Tennessee 10y this error of Alex
ander and MunScll when they located
this line in 1919.
The western line of Fulton County
as formed 10y the western limit of
the ,iominionS of the Kind of England
in 1901 when the charter was granted
To the proprietor of the Virginia Col
onyists. The territory granted i'm this
charter was To extend west and norfh-
west 10 the South Sea. IL il rather
difficult to understand the limits by
this description. In any event the
western limits could be extended no
further than the authority of the SOW
creign and this line afterwards came
10 be- the center of the stream of the
Mississippi River. Probably mt this
day the line between Kentucky and
Tennessee strikes the center of the
stream of the river east of Madrid
Bend But when the line was first
run i'm 1919 the first point AT which the
line met the middle of the stream was
below New Madrid. Missouri The Is
lands ON the east side of the middle of
the stream at that day are Kentucky
territory even though the change OF
the river has now put such islands 10
the west of the middle of the stream.