Commemorating the 250th

Anniversary of the Establishment

of the Mason-Dixon Line
Whereas, The State of West Virginia was born in 1863 and the Mason-Dixon Line is this
heralded states northern border; and

Whereas, For historical reasons the Mason and Dixon Line is perhaps the most important
boundary line in our country; and

Whereas, In the 1600s, King Charles I awarded a large tract of land to the Calvert family,
which later became the State of Maryland; and

Whereas, In that same century, King Charlet II awarded a large tract to the Penn family
which later became the State of Pennsylvania; and

Whereas, The border between Penns land and Calverts land was unknown in the vast
American wilderness, resulting in 80 years of conflicts and disagreements among the
settlers as well as arguments about to whom taxes should be paid; and

Whereas, In 1763, Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon, both well-educated and highly
skilled surveyors were hired to come to the American wilderness and establish once and
for all the approximately 240-mile border between the two tracts of land; and

Whereas, Guided by a delegation of tribal chiefs from the Six Nations, Mason and Dixon
were able to clear a 30-foot path through the mountainous Appalachian wilderness, and
were able to mark the boundary line using scores of workers, the latest equipment and
techniques, including astronomy, and by hauling dozens of wagons of stones shipped from
England for markers; and
Whereas, In October 1767, after crossing a war path at Dunkard Creek, the chiefs
declared they would not proceed one step further west, Mason and Dixon established a
final marker on a high ridge that now belongs to the citizens of Greene and Monongalia
counties; and

Whereas, This stopping point was 21 miles, 769.1 feet short of the point the Crown had
commissioned and it would take 17 and additional years for others to complete the
survey job of what is now the border between West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio; and
Whereas, In the 1970s a park of nearly 400 acres of wilderness straddling the border of
West Virginia and Pennsylvania was established to commemorate the stopping point of
the survey; and

Whereas, This 250th celebration of the Mason & Dixon survey is intended to be a
reminder of that historic journey as well as an inspiration to children and young-at-heart
adults who love history, math and science and the great outdoors; therefore

On the Fifteenth day of October, Two Thousand Seventeen, we do hereby celebrate the
achievements of the Mason-Dixon team and aspire to achieve a renewal of the spirit of
learning, exploration and discovery they demonstrated.

This citation was presented by:

Delegate Barbara Evans Fleischauer

Delegate Dave Pethtel Delegate Joe Statler
Delegate John Williams Delegate Cindy Frich
Delegate Rodney Pyles Delegate Terri Sypolt
Senator Bob Beach Senator Dave Sypolt