Mason and Dixon’s line has become a symbol for the division between North and South and is associated with one the most defining issues to shape our national society from the 18^th through the 20^th centuries. Few people realize the true history behind the creation of this line and fewer still know that the line is monumented by 12” square monuments at 1-mile intervals.  The results of a 1950 inventory show that 217 of 219 monuments along the Maryland portion of the boundary remained.  The inventory performed by MDLPP shows that a large number have since been damaged or destroyed and an increasing number are threatened.  All of the work to date has been through the time and talents of the dedicated volunteers.

NEWS

- Surveyors' Rendezvous 2013-

Plans are underway for the 2013 Surveyors' Rendezvous which will be held August 28-31 at the Hyatt Regency in Philadelphia, PA. Our hope is to dedicate a historical marker near the location of the former house that was selected by the Commisioners as being the "Most southern point of Philadelphia" from which the the boundary between Pennsylvania and Maryland would be established 15 miles to the south. We also hope to place a marker at Christ Church cemetery acknowledging Charles Mason's burial in the graveyard.

- Survey America -

On Saturday March 19th, Volunteers spread out along Mason and Dixon's Line to participate in the National Society of Professional Surveyors' (NSPS) Surveying USA event. On this day, Surveyors and other volunteers located hundreds of points across the country to establish the Latitude and Longitude positions of a variety of features using the Global Positioning System.

Along the Mason and Dixon Line, over twenty volunteers established the position of 20 Mason and Dixon stones and National Geodetic Survey monuments.

 

Purchase the DVD "How the States Got Their Shapes" as seen on the History Channel

• Every line on the U.S. map tells a great story: California's border was bent to claw onto lucrative gold deposits... Oklahoma's panhandle reflects a shifting national barometer for legal slavery... Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia's shared border traces the scar of a meteor impact. The segments reveal the larger story of what makes America unique: a range of natural resources, a history of social experimentation, and a thriving democracy. This 100 minute program includes a segment on the Mason and Dixon Line and Colonial surveying techniques