Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1921-02-22
BOUNDRY line HISTORY
Story Of the Survey Between North
and South Carolina.
WHY THE WEDGE down The RIVER
Two Provinces SEPARATED in 1856
Final Adjustment Of the Boundaries
: Was Not Completed UuntiI Many
Years AfterWard.

| ears HTIeT"dTQs
To the Editor of The Observer:
In your issue Of recent date you re-
ferred to the "hearsay" way the line
was originally established. Being a
native Of Fort Mill have heard that
story about the still many years
since, and like many other things that
people who don't know. write about.
When we see something that puzzles
US, when we haven't the explanation,
we invent one. For instance, the birth
place of Andrew Jackson-born at the
Mckinney place." founded entirely on
"hearsay testimony" am indebted to
my friend A. S. Sally, Jr., of Columbia,
S. c., the states historian Of today. and
there Is no one more competent to give
the history Of that original survey than
Mr.. Sally, for the following: When
North Carolina and South Carolina
were officially separated by the crown
of England in 1880, the boundary line
was fixed by royal instructions to the
two governors appointed for the pro-
Vinccs Immediately a controversy
arose as to the construction OF those
instructions; but in 1875 this dispute
was settled and surveyor was told to
go to a certain point on the Atlantic
ocean and run line in certain course
until it intersected the 35th parallel Of
north latitude and there place mark
er. The royal instructions were that
from that point the line should follow
the said parallel Que west to the South
seas, (Which indefinite body of water
was, by treaty with Spain about 1853,
fixed at the Mississippi river). In Au-
gust, 1853, the governors Of the several
southern provinces and the commits
sioner Of Indian affairs for these pro-
vinces met in Augusta and arranged
grand treaty with many tribes OF
southern Indians, among them the Ca
tawbas. Under the terms of the pro-
visions relating to the Catawbas, they
were to have q tract Of land 10 miles
square On the river Of Their trioai
name. Later in the year this reserVa-
ton was laid out for them, and extend
ed both above and below the 3oth
parallel, so that each of the provinces
of North and South Carolina contrib
uted to the Indian reservation por-
ton Of the land therefor. In 1854 the
white people having begun to settle IN
the vicinity of the 35th parallel, Gov
ernor Bull directed party of survey
ors to so to the marker set up in lISa
at the point Of intersection OF the line
of that year with: the 35th parallel and
run a line due west to the eastern
boundary of the Catawba reservation.
These surveyors soon located the
marker of 1735 and proceeded to run
the due wegt line on what they sup
posed was the 35th parallel. After
running and blazing out the line for
about 60 miles, to where 1t struck the
Charleston and Salisbury road. they
failed to find the eastern line Of the Ca
tawba reservation, which had been run
out the preceding year, and sat down to
calculate the position Of the 35th par
alicl and found that they were between
IL and - miles south thereof. They
reported their trouble to Governor BULL
who ordered them to stop the survey
He stated that the line which they mad
lust completed and straight line con-
Meeting the western end thereof where
at the surveyors had set up stone
that is there today, with the southeast
ern corner; of the Catawba reservation,
would be considered temporarily as the
boundary between the two provinces
until an adjustment could be reached
between the two provinces. In 1112
each province appointed commissioners
and surveyors to meet, agree upon a
line from the end of the line OF 1852
These commissioners in accordance
with Instructions from the crown
agreed that the line Of 1854 be part
of the official line; that the straight
line from it's western extremity to the
southeastern corner Of the CatawDa
reservation, the eastern boundary OF
the Catawba reservation, ana lhe
northern boundary Of the reservation
to its intersection with the CatawDa
river be an additional part OF the OFF,
cial boundary, and that North Carolina
take the strip of land between the line
of 17G4 and the 35th parallel and give
South Carolina an equivalent NORTH OF
the 35th parallel and west OF the Ca
tawba river, thereby also allowing the
entire Catawba reservation to South
Carolina. From the intersection Oh inc
35th parallel with the Catawba river
the middle of the river to the coni1u-
ence of it's two principal forks was M
ed as the line. This arrangement pro-
duced primarily by the trillinEneSs ol
the surveyor employed in 1875 causec
the Jagged appearance OF the line ne'
tween the present counties OF Lancas'
ter and York in South Carolina anc
Necklenburg and Union in North Caro-
lima. The territory acquired from
North Carolina now comprises those
nc-tions of the counties Of York. Cher
okee and Spartanburg. that lie north OF
the 35th parallel and Fort Mill JUS
does fall within that territory by the