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John Cletheroe's
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Since at that time Pennsylvania also included present-day Delaware (then called I believe "the three lower counties of Pennsylvania"), the original Mason-Dixon Line surveyed by Mason and Dixon also included the north-south line between Maryland and Delaware. I am a little vague as regards Delaware's exact status in 1763-1767 - it broke away from Pennsylvania in 1704 but did not become a separate state until after American Independence.
The original Mason-Dixon Line therefore ran along that part of the southern border of Pennsylvania which also borders Maryland (east-west along part of the 39o 43'N line of latitude) and along that part of the border between Maryland and present-day Delaware which runs approximately north-south. This latter border does not in fact actually run true north-south: its northern point is at 39o 43'N 75o 47'W while its southern point is at 38o 27'N 75o 42'W.
According to most sources, Mason and Dixon surveyed the east-west line dividing Pennsylvania and Maryland to a point 244 miles west of the Delaware River. They were stopped by opposition from Native Americans 36 miles short of the western end of the border.
The original Mason-Dixon Line did not include the east-west part of the border between Maryland and present-day Delaware, which is part of the Transpeninsular Line (and which, incidentally, runs along part of the 38o 27'N line of latitude).
Nor did the original Mason-Dixon Line extend in any way beyond what is detailed above.
Dear Sir,
My name is Todd M. Babcock and I am the Chairman of the Mason and Dixon Line Preservation Partnership. Our objective is to preserve the monuments that mark the Mason and Dixon line as well as to promote a factual history of the line.
The Mason and Dixon Line as surveyed by Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon between 1763 and 1767 is limited to the north-south line dividing present day Delaware and Maryland and the east-west line dividing Pennsylvania from Maryland and part of West Virginia. Mason and Dixon actually stopped about 30 miles east of the western boundary of Pennsylvania (north of Morgantown, West Virginia at a location named "Brown's Hill").
The Mason and Dixon Line does not extend eastward beyond the northeast corner of Maryland, nor does it extend westward beyond Pennsylvania. I have tried for a number of years to find a definitive source of these rumours that the Mason and Dixon Line extends beyond these limits. In fact, the greater part of West Virginia, a "northern state", lies below the latitude of the line surveyed by Mason and Dixon.
Unfortunately, the true work of Mason and Dixon has been buried beneath the association with North vs. South and Slave vs. Free states. The work was completed and they returned to England long before the Missouri Compromise of 1820 or the onset of [the American Civil War] in 1861.
By the way, the most likely source of "Dixie" comes from the use of the French money "dix" which was used along the southern Mississippi. I always wondered, if a southerner was from Dixie (Dixon) would not a northerner be from Masey (Mason)?
Sincerely,
Todd M. Babcock,
A Professional Land Surveyor from way, away, away up North in Masey
Howard Winters of New Jersey kindly sent me the following comments:
If you're interested, since I live in south Jersey, 1200 feet from the low water mark that provides the border between New Jersey and Delaware, and work for the Delaware State Museum at the New Castle Court House in old New Castle, where the cupola in the dome of the courthouse was used as the pivot point for the 12 mile arc that was swung, I might be able to answer your questions and settle the situation for once and for all.
A fellow, name of James (Charles II King of England) some time in the 1600's, decided to have the arc that marks the state line between Pennsylvania and Delaware drawn to identify and make visible the limits of the two states. The King was concerned that Pennsylvania might try to encroach on his lower three counties, in the area that was to become known as Delaware.
The king stopped at the river because he had already acquired New York and all of New Jersey in an earlier grant. No need to survey what was already yours.
The inaccuracy of the first line allowed the formation of what was known as a wedge, or an arcing piece of land from the border of Delaware and Maryland at the junction with Pennsylvania to occur, and this provided a kind of no man's land, where [criminals] and other unsavoury types hung out because they were under neither Pennsylvania or Delaware. The point of the first arc was off by something like 16 miles. This permitted the creation of the wedge.
The king later had two surveyors of repute survey the lower limit of his holdings and this was on a river that flowed across the bottom of Delaware, separating it from the state of Maryland. They got this part right enough but as the time wore on and they reached the point of left state line between Delaware and Maryland, they began to drop into various bars and taverns, and at the end of the day over a period of time, it was found that the surveyed line tended to wander east and west a bit.
For this reason, Mason and Dixon were called in from England to provide a reliable survey line, which they did. This correct survey line also did away with the wedge mentioned above, and actually both Pennsylvania and Delaware profited by the arc being drawn from the top of the cupola on the Courthouse in Old New Castle, Delaware.
As I said earlier, the King already had the rights to New York and New Jersey, so there was no reason for the arc to be swung past the point where it met the Delaware River.
I am a new employee of the Delaware State Museum System and I have answered your offer of an answer to the question of how it all came about. I have no authority to certify to the accuracy of this answer but it is the standard answer given to visitors to the NCCH Museum, and has been so for some time.
Since I live in South Jersey, I know for a fact the Mason-Dixon line does not run through south Jersey. South Jersey begins at the northern edge of Salem County, and all lands south of this are considered to make up South Jersey.I also received the following information from Richard Hanford:
The difficulty many surveyors had prior to the Mason and Dixon survey was that the north-south line between Maryland and Delaware could not be made tangential to the 12-mile arc that originated from the church steeple in New Castle, Delaware.
The southern boundary of Maryland and Delaware falls along the previously agreed boundary set by the King. From the midpoint measured shore-to-shore, from the Atlantic Ocean to Chesapeake Bay, a northward boundary line between the states was to be extended to intersect with this arc. This could never be accomplished, if only due to magnetic declination off true north.
There appears to have been some compromise made by Mason and Dixon, because the boundary "turns" slightly near this arc as it approaches the Pennsylvania state line. Therefore, the Maryland-Delaware boundary intersects the Pennsylvania-Maryland boundary at a right angle. It does not meet the Pennsylvania-Delaware arc tangentially as originally envisioned.Richard later sent me the following extra information:
After perhaps an obsessive research effort, I'd like to offer a clarification that may be of interest to your readers.
The Mason-Dixon line actually begins in the southwest corner of Delaware. It is at the midpoint between the Atlantic and Chesapeake shorelines, measured from the easternmost point of the Delaware peninsula (where it was widest in about 1764), then traversing generally north to tangentially intersect the 12-mile radius extended from the center of New Castle (DE). This was a true surveying feat since the line follows neither true nor magnetic north and was about 80 miles across swamp and lowlands.
From the tangent point, the line is extending north to the Pennsylvania/Maryland border. This was to be defined as the latitude extending from the same 12-mile arc at a point 15 miles south of the southernmost point in Philadelphia, another surveying feat.
The westward extension of the line went as far as they could safely survey, but did not then reach the westernmost end of either Maryland or Pennsylvania.
Again, apologies for the obsession, which I attribute to Thomas Pynchon's novel, Mason and Dixon. The subject makes for "interesting" wagering and cocktail party discussion.
Chris Whong sent me the following comments at various times:
The plaque by the stone near the lighthouse in Fenwick Island does not claim to have anything to do with the Mason-Dixon Line.
The East-West line dividing Maryland and Delaware is called the Transpeninsular Line and was calculated from the easternmost point of the Delmarva peninsula due west to the Chesapeake Bay in 1751 by King Charles II, eleven years before the Mason-Dixon line began creation. The Mason-Dixon Line bisects the Transpeninsular Line.
The object of the Transpeninsular Line was to establish a southern border of Delaware (the three lower counties of Pennsylvania). The Calverts of Maryland believed this border to be near Lewes, Delaware, while the Penns believed it to be at Fenwick Island, Delaware. The locations for this dispute originate from earlier nomenclature for the two areas. The town of Fenwick Island was called Cape Henlopen, and the coast near Lewes was known by a curiously similar name, Cape Heenloope. They were named at different times by different people, and the southern border of Delaware was to be an East-West line originating from Cape Henlopen, but nobody could settle on which location the charters referred to.
The line has markers made of stone with the seal of the Penn family on the north side, and the seal of the Calverts on the south side. The first one is located at the foot of the Fenwick Island lighthouse, and is in pretty good condition considering it is over 300 years old. You can still make out the seals. They are placed incrementally across the peninsula (I think it's every five miles, but I don't remember.) Many of them are still in place today.
Sources: History of Fenwick Island, Delaware. Things to do in Fenwick Island (external link checked Nov-99).
I have been to the first Mason-Dixon stone, at the southwest corner of Delaware. It is a small shelter with brick corner posts with bars in between. Inside are three stones, the largest of which is the actual Mason-Dixon stone, which bears the Calvert family coat of arms on the south and west sides, and that of the Penn family on the east and north sides. The other two stones have eroded so badly that they are now merely deformed slabs. I imagine that one of them is a Transpeninsular Line stone, or maybe they were both part of one stone that broke. On top of the large stone is a USGS (United States Geological Survey) plaque. There was no information posted at this site.
I did about 6 hours of research yesterday, and found out this:
http://www.mdarchives.state.md.us/msa/speccol/1399/reports/html/24_a5.html
and http://www.mdarchives.state.md.us/msa/speccol/1399/reports/html/266s5.html
Both of these are online descriptions of maps that the Maryland State Archives, but they contain a lot of information on the whole dispute, including what I was telling you about the false location of Cape Henlopen.
The present location of Cape Henlopen at Lewes, Delaware was on Lord Baltimore's map as Cape Cornelius. Cape Henlopen was on his map at Fenwick Island. That was the map that was submitted to the king in 1732, but Lord Baltimore did not realise his mistake till afterwards. In 1750 after disputing it a while, the court said that the 1732 agreement was valid, and the Transpeninsular Line was surveyed.
East of the original Mason-Dixon Line, in general colloquial usage the east-west part of the border between Maryland and Delaware, actually part of the Transpeninsular Line, is sometimes regarded as being included in the Mason-Dixon Line. Other theories have the colloquial Mason-Dixon Line running through Delaware and/or New Jersey.
Nowadays, the name Mason-Dixon Line is used colloquially to mean the boundary between the Northern and Southern states, or between the Union and the Confederacy during the American Civil War, or between the free states and the slave states. However, these meanings are inconsistent. It is probably an over-simplification to regard the American Civil War as being merely a dispute over slavery. Also, there is a considerable difference between the route of the original Mason-Dixon Line and the border between the Union and Confederate states during the Civil War. There is also a difference between the original Mason-Dixon Line and the border between the free and the slave states. In addition, a few Union states during the Civil War were slave states. All these inconsistencies, plus the passion which still to this day can be raised by the subjects of slavery and the Civil War, make for considerable confusion which the following sections of this page attempt to resolve.
One theory for the origination of the name of Dixie to refer to the Confederate states is that it came from the name of the Mason-Dixon Line. However, it is important to be aware that this is only one of several theories to explain the name.
The original Mason-Dixon Line as surveyed by Mason and Dixon definitely did not run through Delaware, only along its north-south border with Maryland.
I have never seen an official description of the colloquial Mason-Dixon Line indicating that it ran through Delaware.
The "Mason-Dixon Line" article on Microsoft's Encarta CD-ROM encyclopedia states that the colloquial Mason-Dixon Line followed the Ohio River from the Pennsylvania border to the Mississippi River.
Mike Wagner sent me a message saying that he has found evidence that the colloquial Mason-Dixon Line ran through part of southern Illinois.
I received the following message from "Augie":
Hi, John! Just thought I'd let you know about the Mason-Dixon Line and Southern Illinois. I grew up less than five miles south of the dividing line between Williamson and Franklin Counties in Southern Illinois. I remember being told that the "County Line" ran along the Mason-Dixon Line.I also received the following from "NLents":
John, I read your part about southern Illinois being cut by the Mason-Dixon Line which brought to mind something I recently heard. I am from southern Indiana, and was recently surprised (not to mention confused and quite cynical) to hear that supposedly the gym at my old grade school was split by the Mason Dixon Line. This person further went on to say that the reason the school colours were gray and blue was for north and south during the civil war. This school is almost two counties north of the Ohio River. I wasn't sure if any of this could be true, but seeing that question about Illinois made me think twice.
Susan Travis kindly sent me this information which further explains Maryland's position:
As a native of Maryland now living in Georgia, it is nice to have some backup arguments to my assertions that Maryland is, indeed, part of the South!
In regards to Maryland being or not being in the Confederacy during the Civil War, there are a couple of points which may be of interest to you. Maryland did remain a part of the Union, that is true. However, there were very strong Southern sympathies in Maryland during the War, and she probably would have seceded if she had been allowed to do so. If Maryland had seceded, the railroad lines into Washington, D.C., the Union's capital, would have been completely cut off, thus prohibiting messages and supplies from getting in and out of D.C. The Union troops actually placed cannon in Baltimore facing, not out to the harbour as might be expected, but rather on top of a hill (known as Federal Hill) facing into the city to keep the troops and citizens in line! As with any border state, troops were raised in Maryland for both the Union and Confederate sides. I hope this helps even further to clear up some of the confusion about Maryland's status during The Great Unpleasantness (as it is often referred to here in the South)!Harris P. Murphy sent me a message expressing another view of Maryland's status during the American Civil War which demonstrates that passions still run deep on this question:
Having reviewed your site regarding the South and Maryland's place therein, I feel compelled to write and correct an inaccuracy. Maryland was not a "Union" state during the Civil War, as many revisionist historians would have us believe. It was a decidedly pro-Southern state that was held in the Union illegally, by force.
Her governor was under house arrest. The writ of habeas corpus was suspended, and those members of the legislature who would have voted to secede - a majority, see below - were jailed. Additionally, the occupying Federal forces had their guns trained on the city of Baltimore. Prior to being occupied, the citizens and the legislature provided clear indication of Maryland's stance with regard to both the state's Southern inclination and secession. In the presidential election preceding the war, Maryland's votes were almost identical to those of the other states of the upper South. See "A Southern Star For Maryland". Moreover, the full legislature's last resolution with regard to the issue of secession was to "cast her lot with that of her sister state of Virginia." In sum, Maryland was, is, and will always be a Southern State, despite the best efforts of the revisionist Yankees who seek now, as then, to occupy her.
The original Mason-Dixon Line as surveyed by Mason and Dixon definitely did not run through New Jersey.
According to some sources the colloquial Mason-Dixon Line runs through New Jersey. Brian Cronk sent me the following message:
I was under the impression that the Mason and Dixon line does run through the southern end of New Jersey. It also goes through Delaware. I know this for sure because as soon as you cross the border there is a sign that says "Border of the Mason and Dixon Line".Christopher Downie sent me this note regarding the location of the sign:
I'm sure you're aware of this but there is a sign on the NJ Turnpike that says "Mason Dixon Line". It's somewhere around Exit 3 if I remember correctly.Vincent Harris sent me the following message:
As a history major in college and a South Jersey resident I feel that is my place to finally calm the confused waters of the Mason Dixon Line/New Jersey controversy. Yes, the Mason Dixon Line is the border between Pennsylvania and Maryland but if you take a ruler to a map at that border you will see that it crosses well into New Jersey, regardless of whether this was the intended purpose of this border.
The whole concept behind the Mason Dixon line revolves around landmarks. Many North Jerseans sometimes consider South Jersey as "The South". This is probably due to the distinct change in landscape that occurs travelling south into Gloucester and Salem Counties and finally into Cumberland and Cape May. This region does indeed look much like the South. It is the region that earned New Jersey the nickname "The Garden State"; known for New Jersey tomatoes.
A landmark that one would consider to be New Jersey's Mason Dixon Line is Oldman's Creek, which is the border between Gloucester and Salem counties. Using the ruler-map method you'll see that the Delaware border (Mason Dixon Line) runs directly into this creek.
Also, in the small South Jersey town of Deepwater (off the Delaware River) there is a deep swamp where a revolutionary war cemetery is located. On the other side of this swamp there is an old sign which says "Delaware Property", and it is. Delaware owns a relatively large swamp in New Jersey on this small piece of land right off the Jersey side of the Delaware River. This landmark is often looked upon as a North/South border mark. They say that Delaware won the land in a dispute with New Jersey during the Revolutionary War. This could be true in regards to the fact that Delaware, although it was considered a Union state, was prominent for slaves. Slaves would often cross over to New Jersey from Delaware to that same general area in Salem County where this swamp is located. Keep in mind that this area is known for its contributions to the Underground Railroad.
So, even if the Mason Dixon line does not officially run through New Jersey its influence has had a profound effect on the state's history.
In colonial times there was a West Jersey and an East Jersey. If you drew a line approximately from Little Egg Harbour to Delaware Water Gap, that would have been the boundary between West Jersey and East Jersey. Presbyterian churches in this area still belong to the West Jersey Presbytery.
If you extended the Mason-Dixon Line east to the ocean, there were more slaves north of that line than there were south of the line in New Jersey.[Presumably Lauren means extending the Pennsylvania/Maryland and Pennsylvania/Delaware borders east to the ocean, since doing so would cut across part of New Jersey - JC]
I don't think you could find two people in New Jersey who would agree where South Jersey stops and North Jersey begins. One person might say zip codes beginning with 07 are in North Jersey and those that begin with 08 are in South Jersey. Another might say that telephone area code 609 is South Jersey and the others constitute North Jersey. I usually take the view that North of Trenton, the state capitol, is North Jersey and south of there is South Jersey.
| Alabama | Confederate | Slave | |
| Arkansas | Confederate | Slave | |
| California | Union | Free | |
| Connecticut | Union | Free | |
| Delaware | Union | Slave | Although Unionists prevailed in Delaware there was also considerable support for the Confederacy. |
| Florida | Confederate | Slave | |
| Georgia | Confederate | Slave | |
| Illinois | Union | Free | |
| Indiana | Union | Free | |
| Iowa | Union | Free | |
| Kansas | Union | Free | |
| Kentucky | Neutral, later Union | Slave | At the start of the war Kentucky sought to remain neutral. In September 1861 Confederate troops invaded Kentucky, leading to Kentuckians enlisting overwhelmingly in the Union cause. |
| Louisiana | Confederate | Slave | |
| Maine | Union | Free | |
| Maryland | Union | Slave | Although Unionists prevailed in Maryland there was also considerable support for the Confederacy. Union troops occupied Baltimore and imposed martial law. Maryland lies to the south of the original Mason-Dixon Line. |
| Massachusetts | Union | Free | |
| Michigan | Union | Free | |
| Minnesota | Union | Free | |
| Mississippi | Confederate | Slave | |
| Missouri | Union | Slave | Although Unionists prevailed in Missouri there was also considerable support for the Confederacy. Union troops helped secure the state. |
| New Hampshire | Union | Free | |
| New Jersey | Union | Free | |
| New York State | Union | Free | |
| North Carolina | Confederate | Slave | |
| Ohio | Union | Free | |
| Oregon | Union | Free | |
| Pennsylvania | Union | Free | |
| Rhode Island | Union | Free | |
| South Carolina | Confederate | Slave | |
| Tennessee | Confederate | Slave | |
| Texas | Confederate | Slave | |
| Vermont | Union | Free | |
| Virginia | Confederate | Slave | |
| West Virginia | Union | Slave | West Virginia broke away from Virginia in June 1863. West Virginia lies to the south of the original Mason-Dixon Line. |
| Wisconsin | Union | Free |
Present-day states which are not included in the above table were not states in 1861; those in the contiguous USA were then included in Territories all of which were Union. The question of slavery in these Territories was one of main causes of the American Civil War.
In Aug-02 I received this message:
Dear John,
My name is Edwin Danson and I'm the author of "Drawing the Line: How Mason and Dixon Surveyed the Most Famous Border in America", published by John Wiley and Sons, New York, 2000. All the answers are in the book, including why, where and just how they did it!
A search on the Internet revealed a number of other songs, most of which merely include a passing mention of the Mason-Dixon Line in their lyrics, including:
I was searching the web for information on the Mason Dixon Line and found your website. I have a Crownstone in my yard, #45 Marydel, DE. I see that you have a picture posted on your website of this marker. I just wanted to give you a web address to my site that marks the celebration that we just had on July 31st, 2004. We finally got a new historical marker which was much needed. We had a great turnout for the celebration and just thought that I'd share this with you. Glad to see you have such interest in the history of this Line. The URL is http://mywebpages.comcast.net/niteowl99
My property sits on the border of DE/MD. We actually pay taxes in both states as we are spread across the line. A long time ago, a previous resident gave right of way to the State of MD to widen the road if necessary. We own to the edge of the marker so technically, it is on the edge of the right of way. But, I have enjoyed caring for it since '86. Our property is beside and behind it. It is amazing how many do have interest in this famous survey. We get visitors all the time. Our biggest complaint was the old sign was in very bad repair and it was quite difficult to find if just driving by. The goal of the committee formed was to get the new sign and have it placed where more could find it and we accomplished this feat! I paid to have a fence erected behind the bushes as a back drop to set it all off and it worked, too. The committee was able to raise enough money to have the celebration and now we are taking the remainder and getting a new flag pole. Our ropes will no longer go up and down to raise the two flags. All in all, we had a very successful event!
Karen Sanders
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