The original Mason-Dixon Line

The Mason–Dixon Line (or "Mason and Dixon's Line") is a demarcation line between four U.S. states, forming part of the borders of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and West Virginia (then part of Virginia). A demarcation line means simply a boundary around a specific area but is commonly used to denote a temporary geopolitical Border, often agreed upon as part of an Armistice A US state is any one of the fifty subnational entities of the United States of America that share Sovereignty with the federal government The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern Delaware ( is a state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. West Virginia ( is a state in the Appalachian Upland South, and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, bordered by The Commonwealth of Virginia ( is an American state It was surveyed between 1763 and 1767 by Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon in the resolution of a border dispute between British colonies in Colonial America. Charles Mason ( Oakridge Lynch Gloucestershire, April 1728&ndash Philadelphia, October 25, 1786) was an English Astronomer Jeremiah Dixon ( Cockfield County Durham July 27 1733 &ndash Cockfield County Durham January 22 1779) was an English The British Empire was the largest empire in history and for over a century was the foremost global power. The term colonial history of the United States refers to the history of the land that would become the United States from the start of European settlement to the time of independence Popular speech, especially since the Missouri compromise of 1820 (apparently the first official usage of the term "Mason's and Dixon's Line"), uses the Mason-Dixon Line symbolically as a cultural boundary between the Northern United States and the Southern United States (Dixie). The Missouri Compromise was an agreement passed in 1820 between the pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in the United States Congress, involving The Northern United States is a large geographic region of the United States of America. The Southern United States &mdashcommonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South &mdashconstitutes a large distinctive Dixie is a nickname for the Southern United States. Origin of Dixie According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the origins

Background

Maryland and Pennsylvania both claimed the land between the 39th and 40th parallels according to the charters granted to each colony. The 'Three Lower Counties' (Delaware) along Delaware Bay moved into the Penn sphere of settlement, and later became the Delaware Colony, a satellite of Pennsylvania. Delaware Bay is a large Estuary outlet of the Delaware River on the Northeast seaboard of the United States whose fresh water mixes for many miles Delaware Colony was an English Colony in North America. Settlement From the early Dutch settlement in 1631 to the colony’s

In 1732 the proprietary governor of Maryland, Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore, signed an agreement with William Penn's sons which drew a line somewhere in between, and also renounced the Calvert claim to Delaware. Charles Calvert 5th Baron Baltimore, FRS ( September 29 1699 – April 24 1751) was a British noble William Penn ( October 14, 1644 – July 30, 1718) was founder and "Absolute Proprietor" of the Province of Pennsylvania, But later Lord Baltimore claimed that the document he signed did not contain the terms he had agreed to, and refused to put the agreement into effect. Beginning in the mid-1730s, violence erupted between settlers claiming various loyalties to Maryland and Pennsylvania. The border conflict between Pennsylvania and Maryland would be known as Cresap's War. For the 1774 conflict also known as "Cresap's War" see Dunmore's War.

The issue was unresolved until the Crown intervened in 1760, ordering Frederick Calvert, 6th Baron Baltimore to accept the 1732 agreement. Frederick Calvert 6th Baron Baltimore ( February 6 1731 – September 4 1771) was an English nobleman and last in the line of Barons As part of the settlement, the Penns and Calverts commissioned the English team of Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon to survey the newly established boundaries between the Province of Pennsylvania, the Province of Maryland, Delaware Colony and parts of Colony and Old Dominion of Virginia. Charles Mason ( Oakridge Lynch Gloucestershire, April 1728&ndash Philadelphia, October 25, 1786) was an English Astronomer Jeremiah Dixon ( Cockfield County Durham July 27 1733 &ndash Cockfield County Durham January 22 1779) was an English Surveying is the technique and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional space Position of points and the distances and angles between The Province of Pennsylvania, also known as Pennsylvania Colony, was a North American colony granted to William Penn on March 4, 1681 The Province of Maryland was an English colony in North America that existed from 1632 until 1776 when it joined the other twelve of the Thirteen colonies Delaware Colony was an English Colony in North America. Settlement From the early Dutch settlement in 1631 to the colony’s The Colony of Virginia (also known frequently as the Virginia Colony and occasionally as the Dominion and Colony of Virginia) was the English colony

After Pennsylvania abolished slavery in 1781, the western part of this line and the Ohio River became a border between free and slave states, although Delaware remained a slave state. The Ohio River is the largest Tributary by volume of the Mississippi River.

Geography

Diagram of the survey lines creating the Mason-Dixon Line and "The Wedge. The Wedge (or Delaware Wedge) is a small tract of land along the border between Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. "

Mason and Dixon's actual survey line began to the south of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and extended from a benchmark east to the Delaware River and west to what was then the boundary with western Virginia. Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə This article is about the use of bench marks in surveying for other uses see Bench mark. The Delaware River is a river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.

The surveyors also fixed the boundary between Delaware and Pennsylvania and the approximately north–south portion of the boundary between Delaware and Maryland. Delaware ( is a state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern Delaware ( is a state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Most of the Delaware–Pennsylvania boundary is a circular arc, and the Delaware–Maryland boundary does not run truly north-south because it was intended to bisect the Delmarva Peninsula rather than follow a meridian. The Twelve-Mile Circle is an arc that makes up most of the boundary between the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the State of Delaware in the United States The Delmarva Peninsula is a large Peninsula on the East Coast of the United States, occupied by portions of three U

The Maryland–Pennsylvania boundary is an east-west line with an approximate mean latitude of 39° 43' 20" N (Datum WGS 84). This article describes a concept from Surveying and Geodesy. For other meanings see Datum (disambiguation. The World Geodetic System defines a reference frame for the earth for use in Geodesy and Navigation. In reality, the east-west Mason-Dixon line is not a true line in the geometric sense, but is instead a series of many adjoining lines, following a path between latitude 39° 43' 15" N and 39° 43' 23" N; a surveyor or mapper might call it an approximate rhumb line. See also Great circle Small circle As such, the line approximates a segment of a small circle upon the surface of the (also approximately) spherical Earth. A small circle of a Sphere is the circle constructed by a plane crossing the sphere not in its center The geoid is that Equipotential surface which would coincide exactly with the mean ocean surface of the Earth if the oceans were in equilibrium at rest and extended through An observer standing on such a line and viewing its path toward an unobstructed horizon, would perceive it to bend away from his line of sight, an effect of the inequality between the amount of curvature to his left and right. Among parallels of latitude, only the Equator is a great circle and would not exhibit this effect. The equator (sometimes referred to colloquially as "the Line") is the intersection of the Earth 's surface with the plane perpendicular to the A great circle is a Circle on the surface of a Sphere that has the same circumference as the sphere dividing the sphere into two equal Hemispheres.

The surveyors also extended the boundary line to run between Pennsylvania and colonial western Virginia, (which became West Virginia during the American Civil War, on June 20, 1863), though this was contrary to their original charter; this extension of the line was only confirmed later (see Yohogania County for details). Yohogania County was created by the new state of Virginia in 1776, in an area long disputed between Virginia and Pennsylvania.

The Mason–Dixon Line was marked by stones every mile and ”crownstones” every five miles, using stone shipped from England. The Maryland side says (M) and the Delaware and Pennsylvania sides say (P). Crownstones include the two coats-of-arms. Today, while a number of the original stones are missing or buried, many are still visible, resting on public land and protected by iron cages.

Mason and Dixon confirmed earlier survey work which delineated Delaware's southern boundary from the Atlantic Ocean to the ”Middle Point” stone (along what is today known as the Transpeninsular Line). The Transpeninsular Line (at approximately 38° 27' N is a surveyed line the eastern half of which forms the north-south border between Delaware and Maryland. They proceeded nearly due north from this to the Pennsylvania border.

Later the line was marked in places by additional benchmarks and survey markers. The lines have been resurveyed several times over the centuries without substantive changes to Mason and Dixon's work. The stones may be a few to a few hundred feet east or west of the point Mason and Dixon thought they were; in any event, the line drawn from stone to stone forms the legal boundary.

According to Dave Doyle at the National Geodetic Survey, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the common corner of Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware, at The Wedge is marked by Boundary Monument #87. The National Geodetic Survey and the Office of Coast Survey are the two successor agencies in the United States to the U The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA) is a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the The Wedge (or Delaware Wedge) is a small tract of land along the border between Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. The marker ”MDP Corner” dates from 1935 and is offset on purpose.

Doyle said the Maryland–Pennsylvania Mason–Dixon Line is exactly:

39° 43′ 19. 92216″ N

and Boundary Monument #87 is on that parallel, at:

075° 47′ 18. 93851″ W.

Visitors to the tripoint are strongly encouraged to first obtain permission from the nearest landowner.

History

A "crownstone" boundary monument on the Mason-Dixon Line. The coat of arms of Maryland's founding Calvert family is shown. Cecilius Calvert 2nd Baron Baltimore ( August 8, 1605 &ndash November 30, 1675) usually called Cecil was an English Coloniser On the other side are the arms of William Penn. William Penn ( October 14, 1644 – July 30, 1718) was founder and "Absolute Proprietor" of the Province of Pennsylvania,

The line was established to end a boundary dispute between the British colonies of Maryland and Pennsylvania/Delaware. Due to incorrect maps and confusing legal descriptions, the royal charters of the three colonies overlapped. Maryland was granted the territory north of the Potomac River/Watkins Point up to the fortieth parallel; Pennsylvania was granted land extending northward from a point "12 miles north of New Castle Towne," which is located south of the fortieth parallel. The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid- Atlantic coast of the United States. New Castle is a city in New Castle County, Delaware, six miles (10 km south of Wilmington, situated on the Delaware River, at the head The most serious problem was that the Maryland claim would put Philadelphia, which became the major city in Pennsylvania, within Maryland. Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə A protracted legal dispute between the Calvert family, which controlled Maryland, and the Penn family, which controlled Pennsylvania and the "Three Lower Counties" (Delaware), was ended by the 1750 ruling that the boundary should be fixed as follows:

• Between Pennsylvania and Maryland:
  • The parallel (latitude line) fifteen miles (24 km) south of the southernmost point in Philadelphia, measured to be at about 39° 43' N and agreed upon as the Maryland–Pennsylvania line. Baron Baltimore, of Baltimore in County Cork, is an extinct title in the Peerage of Ireland. William Penn ( October 14, 1644 – July 30, 1718) was founder and "Absolute Proprietor" of the Province of Pennsylvania,

• Between Delaware and Maryland:
  • The existing east-west Transpeninsular Line from the Atlantic Ocean to its mid-point to the Chesapeake Bay. The Transpeninsular Line (at approximately 38° 27' N is a surveyed line the eastern half of which forms the north-south border between Delaware and Maryland. The Chesapeake Bay is the largest Estuary in the United States.
  • A Twelve Mile (radius) Circle around the city of New Castle, Delaware. The Twelve-Mile Circle is an arc that makes up most of the boundary between the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the State of Delaware in the United States
  • A "Tangent Line" connecting the mid-point of the Transpeninsular Line to the western side of the Twelve-Mile Circle.
  • A "North Line" along the meridian (line of longitude) from the tangent point to the Maryland Pennsylvania border.
  • Should any land within the Twelve-Mile Circle fall west of the North Line, it would remain part of Delaware. (This was indeed the case, and this border is the "Arc Line. ")

The disputants engaged an expert British team, astronomer Charles Mason and surveyor Jeremiah Dixon, to survey what became known as the Mason–Dixon Line. Charles Mason ( Oakridge Lynch Gloucestershire, April 1728&ndash Philadelphia, October 25, 1786) was an English Astronomer Jeremiah Dixon ( Cockfield County Durham July 27 1733 &ndash Cockfield County Durham January 22 1779) was an English

The Mason–Dixon line is made up of four segments corresponding to the terms of the settlement: Tangent Line, North Line, Arc Line, and 39° 43' N parallel. The most difficult task was fixing the Tangent Line, as they had to confirm the accuracy of the Transpeninsular Line mid-point and the Twelve-Mile Circle, determine the tangent point along the circle, then actually survey and monument the border. They then surveyed the North and Arc Lines. They did this work between 1763 and 1767. This actually left a small wedge of land in dispute between Delaware and Pennsylvania until 1921. The Wedge (or Delaware Wedge) is a small tract of land along the border between Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.

In April 1765 Mason and Dixon began their survey of the more famous Maryland-Pennsylvania line. They were commissioned to run it for a distance of five degrees of longitude west from the Delaware River, fixing the western boundary of Pennsylvania (see the entry for Yohogania County). Yohogania County was created by the new state of Virginia in 1776, in an area long disputed between Virginia and Pennsylvania. However, in October 1767 at Dunkard Creek near Mount Morris, Pennsylvania, nearly 244 miles (392 km) west of the Delaware, a group of Native Americans forced them to quit their progress. Dunkard Creek is a stream that flows through Greene County Pennsylvania and Monongalia County West Virginia near the towns of Mount Morris Pennsylvania and Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States In 1784, surveyors David Rittenhouse and Andrew Ellicott and their crew completed the survey of the Mason-Dixon line to the southwest corner of Pennsylvania, five degrees from the Delaware River. David Rittenhouse ( April 8, 1732 June 26, 1796) was a renowned American Astronomer, Inventor, Clockmaker Andrew Ellicott ( January 24, 1754 &ndash August 28, 1820) was a U Other surveyors continued west to the Ohio River. The Ohio River is the largest Tributary by volume of the Mississippi River. The section of the line between the southwestern corner of Pennsylvania and the river is the county line between Marshall and Wetzel counties, West Virginia. Marshall County is a County located in the US state of West Virginia. Wetzel County is a County located in the US state of West Virginia.

The boundary between Pennsylvania and Maryland was resurveyed in 1849, then again in 1900.

The Missouri Compromise of 1820 created the political conditions which made the Mason-Dixon Line important to the history of slavery. The Missouri Compromise was an agreement passed in 1820 between the pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in the United States Congress, involving Slavery in the United States began soon after English colonists first settled Virginia in 1607 and lasted until the passage of the Thirteenth It was during the Congressional debates leading up to the compromise that the term "Mason-Dixon line" was first used to designate the entire boundary between free states and slave states.

On November 14, 1963, during the bicentennial of the Mason–Dixon Line, U. Events 1533 - Conquistadors from Spain under the leadership of Francisco Pizarro arrive in Cajamarca, Inca Year 1963 ( MCMLXIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. S. President John F. Kennedy opened a newly completed section of Interstate 95 where it crossed the Maryland-Delaware border. John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy (May 29 1917&ndashNovember 22 1963 often referred to by his initials JFK, was the thirty-fifth President of Interstate 95 ( I-95) is the main Highway on the East Coast of the United States, paralleling the Atlantic Ocean from Maine to It was his last public appearance before the one 8 days later in Dallas, Texas, where he was assassinated. The assassination of John F Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, took place on Friday November 22 1963 in Dallas Texas The Delaware Turnpike and the Maryland portion of the new road were each later designated as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway. This article describes a portion of Interstate 95 in Maryland.

As a cultural boundary

Modern definition

The states in dark red are almost always included in modern day definitions of the South, while those in medium red are usually included. The striped states are sometimes/occasionally considered Southern. Note that the Mason-Dixon line forms part of the northern boundary of the striped states^[1]

The Mason-Dixon line became symbolic of the division between the "free states" and "slave states" from the Missouri Compromise until the end of the American Civil War. The Missouri Compromise was an agreement passed in 1820 between the pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in the United States Congress, involving Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South Pennsylvania abolished slavery before the end of the American Revolution while Maryland, Delaware, Kentucky, and Missouri remained slave states until the end of the war. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern In this article the inhabitants of the thirteen colonies that supported the American Revolution are primarily referred to as "Americans" with occasional references to "Patriots" Delaware ( is a state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The Commonwealth of Kentucky ( is a state located in the East Central United States of America. Missouri ( or) is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee A slave state was a US state in which Slavery of African Americans was legal

After the Civil War, the line continued to be considered a cultural boundary. Some have imagined it continuing westward from Pennsylvania down the Ohio River to the Mississippi River, and crossing the Mississippi to place Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas south of the line. The Ohio River is the largest Tributary by volume of the Mississippi River. The Mississippi River is the second longest River in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to Arkansas ( is a state located in the southern region of the United States. The State of Louisiana ( or, État de Louisiane, pronounced) is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. Debate whether border states such as Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland and West Virginia belong on the north or south side of this boundary line continues to this day. Missouri ( or) is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee The Commonwealth of Kentucky ( is a state located in the East Central United States of America. West Virginia ( is a state in the Appalachian Upland South, and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, bordered by

Cultural references

Literature

• Thomas Pynchon wrote a historical novel about the construction of the Mason-Dixon Line titled Mason & Dixon, first published in 1997. Thomas Ruggles Pynchon Jr (born May 8 1937 is an American writer based in New York City, noted for his dense and complex works of Fiction. Mason & Dixon, an epic postmodernist novel by Thomas Pynchon first published in 1997 centers on the collaboration of the historical Charles Mason This book makes no claim of being historically rigorous.
• George MacDonald Fraser referred to the Mason-Dixon Line in the 1994 novel Flashman and the Angel of the Lord. George MacDonald Fraser, OBE (2 April 1925 &ndash 2 January 2008 was a British Author of both Historical novels and Non-fiction books Flashman and the Angel of the Lord is a 1994 Novel by George MacDonald Fraser. This contains the obvious error of referring to the Line's latitude as 39' 43" instead of 39° 43'.
• John Updike refers to the Mason-Dixon line in the novel Rabbit, Run, as the only landmark that Rabbit recognizes on a map, as he leaves Pennsylvania. John Hoyer Updike (born March 18 1932 in Reading, Pennsylvania) is an American Novelist, Poet, Short story Rabbit Run is a 1960 novel by John Updike. It depicts three months in the life of a 26-year-old former high school basketball player named Harry 'Rabbit'

Film

• The animated short film "Southern Fried Rabbit" (released May 2, 1953) features Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam and takes place on the Mason-Dixon Line — literally, on it. Southern Fried Rabbit is a Looney Tunes Cartoon by Warner Bros Events 1194 - King Richard I of England gives Portsmouth its first Royal Charter. Year 1953 ( MCMLIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Clyde Rabbit (uncleMrs Bugs Bunny (wifePapa Bunny (fatherMama Bunny (motherRugs Bunny Yosemite Sam is an animated cartoon character in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons produced by The cartoon depicts the north as being barren and empty, while the south is lush and green.
• In the film Pulp Fiction (first released on October 14, 1994), Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis) and Marcellus Wallace (Ving Rhames) are captured and imprisoned in "The Mason-Dixon Pawnshop". Events 1066 - Norman Conquest: Battle of Hastings - In England on Senlac Hill seven miles from Hastings, the forces Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) Walter Bruce Willis (March 19 1955 is an American actor and Singer-songwriter. Irving Rameses "Ving" Rhames (born May 12 1959) is a Golden Globe -winning American Actor.
• Antonio Tarver plays a character in the 2006 movie Rocky Balboa named Mason "The Line" Dixon. Antonio Deon Tarver (born November 21 1968 nicknamed the "Magic Man" is a professional boxer from Orlando Florida, who is the former Ring Light
• In the children's film Little Big League, the announcer rambles off unimportant facts, mentioning that the Angels have been the best team this year away "north of the Mason-Dixon line". Little Big League   is a 1994 film about an 11-year-old (later turns 12 who suddenly becomes the owner and then manager of the Minnesota

Television

• In several episodes of the American television series In the Heat of the Night, a roadhouse in Sparta, Mississippi is called Mason's Dixieline. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic In the Heat of the Night is a television series based on the Motion picture, In the Heat of the Night, that ran from 1988 to 1995 Sparta is a small unincorporated community in Chickasaw County, Mississippi, United States, in the northeastern part of the state
• In the Family Guy episode "To Live and Die in Dixie" Peter Griffin refers to the border as the Donna Dixon Line. Family Guy is an animated American television sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane that airs on Fox and regularly on other "To Love and Die in Dixie" is an episode of the third season of Peter Griffin is a Fictional character and the Protagonist of the animated television series Donna Dixon (born July 20, 1957) is an American actress. Dixon was born in Alexandria, Virginia; her father Earl Dixon
• In Viva La Bam during the Civil War Re-enactment episode, Bam pours white chalk on Don Vito and calls it the "Mason Dixon" line for their re-enactment. Viva La Bam was a Reality television series that starred Bam Margera and his crew. Brandon Cole "Bam" Margera (born September 28 1979 is a professional Skateboarder television and radio personality and daredevil.
• In one of Robin Williams' comedy segments, he refers to the border as 'the Manson-Nixon Line'. Robin McLaurim Williams (born July 21 1951 or 1952 is an American television stage and film actor and Comedian who has won an Academy Award for his performance
• In several Warner Brothers Bugs Bunny cartoons, Bugs pops out of his hole at the Mason-Dixon Line to say "I knew I should have made a left at Albequerque. "

Music

• The song "Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody", most famously recorded by Al Jolson, contains the lines "Just hang my cradle, Mammy mine,/Right on that Mason Dixon line/And swing it from Virginia/To Tennessee with all the love that's in ya. " Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody " is a popular Song written by Jean Schwartz, with lyrics by Sam M Al Jolson (May 26 1886 October 23 1950 born in Lithuania, Russian Empire, was a highly acclaimed American singer comedian and actor and the first openly " [1]

• The Johnny Cash tune "Hey Porter" has the singer asking the railroad porter how long it will be until the train crosses the Mason-Dixon Line, as he is longing to be back in the South. Johnny Cash (born J R Cash; February 26 1932 - September 12 2003 was a Grammy Award -winning American country Singer-songwriter. Hey Porter is a song by Johnny Cash. It was recorded in September 1954 and released as a single in July the following year South is one of Cardinal directions and is opposite to the North.

• The popular song "Are You From Dixie?" written by Jack Yellen and George L. Cobb in 1915 and recorded by many country artists over the years, including the Blue Sky Boys in the 1930s and Jerry Reed more recently, references some states south of the Mason-Dixon-Line. Jack Selig Yellen (Jacek Jeleń ( July 6, 1892 - April 17, 1991) was a Polish - American Lyricist and Screenwriter George Linus Cobb ( August 31 1886 &ndash December 25, 1942) was a prolific composer best known for Ragtime, including both instrumental The Blue Sky Boys were an American Country music duo comprised the brothers Earl Bolick (b Jerry Reed Hubbard ( March 20, 1937 &ndash August 31, 2008) known professionally as Jerry Reed was an American

• Mark Knopfler and James Taylor sing about the construction of the Mason-Dixon Line in "Sailing to Philadelphia (Sailing to Philadelphia, Mercury Records, 2000)" Knopfler was inspired by Pynchon's book. Mark Knopfler OBE (born August 12 1949 Glasgow, Scotland) is a British Guitarist, Singer, Songwriter, James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American Singer-songwriter and Guitarist, born in Boston, Massachusetts Sailing to Philadelphia is an Album by Mark Knopfler released in 2000

• Waylon Jennings & Mel Tillis also have a song out titled "Mason Dixon Lines" that references the line in every verse. Waylon Arnold Jennings ( June 15, 1937 &ndash February 13, 2002) was an influential American Country music Singer Mel Tillis (born Lonnie Melvin Tillis, August 8, 1932) is an American Country music singer

• The musical group Virginia Coalition have a song titled "Mason-Dixon" that makes reference to the historical line. Virginia Coalition is a rock band from Alexandria Virginia, who met in the early 1990s through their music class at T

• The satirist Tom Lehrer mentions the Mason-Dixon line in the song "I Wanna Go Back to Dixie"

• The politically charged band Rage Against the Machine have a reference to "the new line of Mason-Dixon" in the song "Maria" off the album The Battle of Los Angeles. Thomas Andrew "Tom" Lehrer (born April 9 1928)is an American Singer-songwriter, satirist, Pianist, and mathematician Rage Against the Machine (sometimes shortened to RATM or Rage) is The Battle of Los Angeles is the third studio Album by Rage Against the Machine.

• The song "Southern Girl" by Maze contains the lyrics: ". Maze a soul / Quiet storm band, was established in San Francisco in the early 1970s . . below the Mason-Dixon line / down there where the girls are fine / Sure know how to treat me you just make me feel so good / Southern girl here's to you no one can do it like you do. "

• The Country band Lady Antebellum have a song called "Home Is Where The Heart Is" that references the line in the lyrics: ". Lady Antebellum is an American Country music group formed in Nashville Tennessee in 2006 by Charles Kelley ( lead and Background vocals) Dave . . Mama said home is where the heart is / Just south of the Mason Dixon Line. . . "

• Christian metalcore band Norma Jean, at one of their live performances, dedicated their song "Memphis Will Be Laid To Waste" to "everyone south of the Mason-Dixon line. Norma Jean is a Christian Metalcore / Mathcore band from Douglasville Georgia, USA, a suburb of Atlanta. . . and everyone north of it too. "

• Country/Southern Rock Band Alabama, in their song Dixieland Delight, sing about classic southern date night: "Make a little lovin', A little turtle dovin' On a Mason-Dixon night. Alabama is a Grammy Award -winning Country music band that originated in Fort Payne, Alabama, United States. "Dixieland Delight" is a song made famous by the Country music band Alabama. "

• Death Metal band Arghoslent in the booklets with their albums it states recorded South of the Mason-Dixon line. Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs fast tempos heavily distorted guitars deep growling vocals morbid lyrics Arghoslent is an American Death metal band formed in the summer of 1990

• The song Guillotine by Raekwon (Wu-Tang) ends with a reference to the Mason-Dixon line. Corey Woods, known by his stage name Raekwon, is an American East Coast Rapper and a member of the Wu-Tang Clan.

References

External links

• The Mason and Dixon Line Preservation Partnership Collection of historical articles and pictures
• The Mason-Dixon Line also is the southern border of Pennsylvania with West Virginia. Visit locations and see photos from sites along The Line near its western end at the southwest corner of Pennsylvania.
• Mason-Dixon Line
• History of the Mason-Dixon Surveys
• The Charter of Maryland (1632)
• Charter for the Province of Pennsylvania (1681)
• Evolution of the Mason-Dixon Line
• The Evolution of the Mason and Dixon Line - facsimile copy of this 1902 text available on-line at Penn State's Digital Bookshelf
• HyperArts' Mason & Dixon Web Guide & Concordance
• The Boundary Disputes of Colonial Maryland

Books

• Danson, Edwin. Drawing the Line: How Mason and Dixon Surveyed the Most Famous Border in America. Wiley. ISBN 0-471-38502-6.