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MASON AND DIXON'S BO UNDAR Y LINE. 409
one hundred and thirty-two miles, near the foot of a hill, called and known by the name
of Sideling hill; every five mile stone having on the side facing the north, the arms of
the said Thomas Penn and Richard Penn graved thereon, and on the side facing the
south, the arms of Frederick Lord Baltimore graved thereon, and the other intermediate
stones are graved with the letter P on the north side, and the letter M on the south side ;
and that the country to the westward of Sideling hill, being so very mountainous as to
render it in most places extremely difficult and expensive, and in some impracticable, to
convey stones or boundaries which had been prepared and marked as aforesaid, to their
proper stations, we have marked and described the said line from Sideling hill to the top
of the Alleghany Ridge, which divides the waters running into the rivers Potowmack and
Ohio, by raising and erecting thereon, on the tops of ridges and mountains over which
the said line passed, heaps or piles of stones or earth, from about three and a half to four
yards in diameter, at bottom, and from six to seven feet in height, and that from the top
of the said Alleghany Ridge westward, as far as we have continued the said line, we
have set up posts at the end of every mile, and raised round each post, heaps or piles of
stones, or earth of about the diameter and height before mentioned."
Thus was finally settled what are now the eastern and northern boundaries
of Maryland, which separate it from Delaware and Pennsylvania. The east
and west line between Pennsylvania and Maryland is known as Mason and
Dixon's line. It is so called from the following facts: On the 4th of August,
1763, Lord Baltimore and Thomas and Eichard Penn, being in London,
employed Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon, "two mathematicians or
surveyors, to mark, run out, settle, fix and determine all such parts of the
circle, marks, lines and boundaries, as were mentioned in the several articles
or commissions, and were not yet completed." They left England at once,
and arrived at Philadelphia on the 15th of November, 1763. Having settled
upon their " tangent point, they proceeded to measure on its meridian fifteen
miles from the parallel of the most southern part of Philadelphia, the north
wall of a house on Cedar street occupied by Thomas Plumstead and Joseph
Huddle."* They thus ascertained the northeastern corner of Maryland, the
beginning of the parallel of latitude that had been agreed upon as the
boundary between the provinces. On the 17th of June, 1765, they had
carried the parallel of latitude to the Susquehannah, and thereupon received
instructions to continue it " as far as the provinces of Maryland and Pennsylvania were settled and inhabited." Having run their lines two hundred and
forty-four miles from the river Delaware, and within thirty-six miles of the
whole distance to be run, they were ordered to stop by the Indians, and
retracing their steps they returned to Philadelphia, where they were honorably discharged on the 26th of December, 1767. Subsequently the line
was completed by other surveyors to its termination.
Having adjusted her eastern and 'northern boundaries, Maryland next
turned her attention to the settlement of her southern and western boundaries.
This related to, and grew out of the description of " the first fountain of the
Potomac," as the terminus of the western and southern boundaries of Maryland. This was predicated upon a grant made by Charles II. in the first
1 Latrobe's History of Mason and Dixon's Line.
| Title | History of Maryland - 1 |
| Creator | Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas) |
| Publisher | J. B. Piet |
| Place of Publication | Baltimore |
| Date | 1879 |
| Language | eng |
| Type | Books/Pamphlets |
| Title | 00000438 |
| Type | Books/Pamphlets |
| Transcript | MASON AND DIXON'S BO UNDAR Y LINE. 409 one hundred and thirty-two miles, near the foot of a hill, called and known by the name of Sideling hill; every five mile stone having on the side facing the north, the arms of the said Thomas Penn and Richard Penn graved thereon, and on the side facing the south, the arms of Frederick Lord Baltimore graved thereon, and the other intermediate stones are graved with the letter P on the north side, and the letter M on the south side ; and that the country to the westward of Sideling hill, being so very mountainous as to render it in most places extremely difficult and expensive, and in some impracticable, to convey stones or boundaries which had been prepared and marked as aforesaid, to their proper stations, we have marked and described the said line from Sideling hill to the top of the Alleghany Ridge, which divides the waters running into the rivers Potowmack and Ohio, by raising and erecting thereon, on the tops of ridges and mountains over which the said line passed, heaps or piles of stones or earth, from about three and a half to four yards in diameter, at bottom, and from six to seven feet in height, and that from the top of the said Alleghany Ridge westward, as far as we have continued the said line, we have set up posts at the end of every mile, and raised round each post, heaps or piles of stones, or earth of about the diameter and height before mentioned." Thus was finally settled what are now the eastern and northern boundaries of Maryland, which separate it from Delaware and Pennsylvania. The east and west line between Pennsylvania and Maryland is known as Mason and Dixon's line. It is so called from the following facts: On the 4th of August, 1763, Lord Baltimore and Thomas and Eichard Penn, being in London, employed Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon, "two mathematicians or surveyors, to mark, run out, settle, fix and determine all such parts of the circle, marks, lines and boundaries, as were mentioned in the several articles or commissions, and were not yet completed." They left England at once, and arrived at Philadelphia on the 15th of November, 1763. Having settled upon their " tangent point, they proceeded to measure on its meridian fifteen miles from the parallel of the most southern part of Philadelphia, the north wall of a house on Cedar street occupied by Thomas Plumstead and Joseph Huddle."* They thus ascertained the northeastern corner of Maryland, the beginning of the parallel of latitude that had been agreed upon as the boundary between the provinces. On the 17th of June, 1765, they had carried the parallel of latitude to the Susquehannah, and thereupon received instructions to continue it " as far as the provinces of Maryland and Pennsylvania were settled and inhabited." Having run their lines two hundred and forty-four miles from the river Delaware, and within thirty-six miles of the whole distance to be run, they were ordered to stop by the Indians, and retracing their steps they returned to Philadelphia, where they were honorably discharged on the 26th of December, 1767. Subsequently the line was completed by other surveyors to its termination. Having adjusted her eastern and 'northern boundaries, Maryland next turned her attention to the settlement of her southern and western boundaries. This related to, and grew out of the description of " the first fountain of the Potomac," as the terminus of the western and southern boundaries of Maryland. This was predicated upon a grant made by Charles II. in the first 1 Latrobe's History of Mason and Dixon's Line. |
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