Drawing the Line

The second edition of Drawing the Line: How Mason and Dixon Surveyed the Most Famous Border in America updates Edwin Danson’s definitive history of the creation of the Mason - Dixon Line to reflect new research and archival documents that have come to light in recent years. Features numerous updates and revisions reflecting new information that has come to light on surveyors Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon Reveals the true origin of the survey’s starting point and the actual location of the surveyors’ observatory in Embreeville Offers expanded information on Mason and Dixon’s transit of Venus adventures, which would be an important influence on their future work, and on Mason’s final years pursuing a share of the fabulous Longitude prize, and his death in Philadelphia Includes a new, more comprehensive appendix describing the surveying methods utilized to establish the Mason-Dixon Line

List of Figures ix Acknowledgments for the Revised Edition xii Introduction to the Revised Edition xiii 1 In the Reign of George the Third 1 2 The Fortieth Degree 6 3 Kings and Queens 14 4 Entirely at a Stand 20 5 Curious Knowing People 34 6 The Transit of Venus 51 7 Mr. Bird’s Contrivances 65 8 Persons Intirely Accomplished 71 9 The Southernmost Point of the City 80 10 15 Statute Miles, Horizontal 98 11 The Tail of Ursae Minoris 109 12 Fine Sport for the Boys 116 13 From the Post mark’d West 123 14 The Pencil of Time 131 15 King of the Tuscarawa 140 16 From Hence; to the Summit 150 17 At a Council of the Royal Society 160 18 Vibration of the Pendulum 167 19 Not One Step Further 176 20 A Degree of Latitude 189 21 The Last Transit 196 22 A Very Helpless Condition 202 23 Finishing the Job 216 Appendix 225 Astronomy 225 Longitude, Latitude, and the Shape of Earth 228 Surveying Methods 230 Degrees of Latitude: A Short History 239 The Mystery of the Mason–Dixon Mile 242 Bibliography 245 Index 251