(Maryland/Delaware/Pennsylvania)
From Newark, DE, go NW on route 896 about 3 miles into MD and on to the PA line. 0.2 miles no
rth of the “Welcome to Pennsylvania” sign on route 896 is a driveable dirt track (no sign) on the right. After about 100 feet on the track there is an area wide enough to park 2-3 cars. The track leads across a field, which can be soft and muddy and not advisable for driving. This area is owned by White Clay Preserve which also owns the land at the tri-point. Follow the track S across the field about 500 feet to a grassy area and a path leading into the woods. Part of this route is on private land but it is OK to cross. Take the path into the woods passing USGS reference (arrow) and station (triangle) markers. Cross a footbridge after about 300’ on the path and continue on to the stone tri-point monument, now visible on the right near a creek, in another 40 feet.
In 1760 commissioners and surveyors were appointed to establish the base line and tangent line between MD & DE. This involved the N boundary of DE, which is an arc of a circle having a radius of 12 English statute miles measured from the center of the town of New Castle, DE. After several years of trying to establish these boundaries, the proprietors became discouraged with the delays and sent from England two famous mathematicians, Charles Mason & Jeremiah Dixon, who verified the earlier work and ran the lines between PA & MD, ever since called The Mason & Dixon Line. A resurvey 200 years later showed the location of the NE corner of MD to be in error by only 1.9 seconds of latitude. Arc Corner is 0.8 mile E of the tri-point.
rth of the “Welcome to Pennsylvania” sign on route 896 is a driveable dirt track (no sign) on the right. After about 100 feet on the track there is an area wide enough to park 2-3 cars. The track leads across a field, which can be soft and muddy and not advisable for driving. This area is owned by White Clay Preserve which also owns the land at the tri-point. Follow the track S across the field about 500 feet to a grassy area and a path leading into the woods. Part of this route is on private land but it is OK to cross. Take the path into the woods passing USGS reference (arrow) and station (triangle) markers. Cross a footbridge after about 300’ on the path and continue on to the stone tri-point monument, now visible on the right near a creek, in another 40 feet.In 1760 commissioners and surveyors were appointed to establish the base line and tangent line between MD & DE. This involved the N boundary of DE, which is an arc of a circle having a radius of 12 English statute miles measured from the center of the town of New Castle, DE. After several years of trying to establish these boundaries, the proprietors became discouraged with the delays and sent from England two famous mathematicians, Charles Mason & Jeremiah Dixon, who verified the earlier work and ran the lines between PA & MD, ever since called The Mason & Dixon Line. A resurvey 200 years later showed the location of the NE corner of MD to be in error by only 1.9 seconds of latitude. Arc Corner is 0.8 mile E of the tri-point.
Submitted by Greg Weiler, 12/06.
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