Story Location:
Delmar Road
Delmar, DE
United States
History is sometimes hidden in obscure, out-of-the-way places. Mason Dixon Line markers fall into that category.
They are hard to find – even with a map – and very few exist. In my travels, I've run across one along Route 54 near Delmar and another one on the side of the road in western Sussex County.
The most famous of the markers in this area is the one located west of Delmar and east of Mardela Springs, Md. Known as the Middle Marker, it's included in the National Register of Historic Places, and it's protected with a brick structure and metal gates. Dating back to 1763, it marks the southwestern point where Delaware's and Maryland's borders converge.
To settle a border dispute, surveyors Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon worked from 1763 to 1767 to delineate the borders of Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania.
And by the way, if you are using TripAdvisor to locate the Route 54 marker, you will end up in the wrong place. It's marked about three miles east of Delmar.
The Mason Dixon Line has been resurveyed over the years, including the early 1960s. In a bit of trivia, during the bicentennial of the line on Nov. 4, 1963, President John F. Kennedy opened a new section of I-95 crossing the Delaware-Maryland border. It was one of his last public appearances before he was assassinated Nov. 22 in Dallas, Texas. The road was later named the John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway.
There is another famous line – that is sometimes confused with the Mason Dixon Line – called the Transpeninsular Line that marks the southern border of Delaware. A survey marker is located at the base of the Fenwick Island Lighthouse.
History along the line
There is a lot of history associated with the line. Tucked away about five miles west of Seaford in the crossroads of Reliance is the Patty Cannon House where Sussex County, Del., and Caroline and Dorchester counties in Maryland meet.
It's near there that Patty Cannon and her gang kidnapped, tortured and murdered free African Americans and runaway slaves and resold them to plantation owners in the South.
Her life is the subject of another blog.
-
Ron MacArthur has lived and worked in Sussex County all his life. As a journalist for nearly 50 years, he has covered everything from county and town meetings to presidential visits. He also has a unique perspective having served as an elected official and lived on both sides of the county.
Contact Ron at ronm@capegazette.com
