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Drawing the Line : How Mason and Dixon Surveyed the Most Famous Border in America
THE FIRST POPULAR HISTORY OF THE MAKING OF THE MASON-DIXON LINE
The Mason-Dixon line-surely the most famous surveyors' line ever drawn-represents one of the greatest and most difficult scientific achievements of its time. But behind this significant triumph is a thrilling story, one that has thus far eluded both historians and surveyors. In this engrossing narrative, professional surveyor Edwin Danson takes us on a fascinating journey with Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon, two gifted and exuberant English surveyors, through the fields and forests of eighteenth-century America. Vividly describing life in the backwoods and the hardships and dangers of frontier surveying, Drawing the Line discloses for the first time in 250 years many hitherto unknown surveying methods, revealing how Mason and Dixon succeeded where the best American surveyors of the period failed. In accessible, ordinary language, Danson masterfully throws the first clear light on the surveying of the Mason-Dixon line. Set in the social and historical context of pre-Revolutionary America, this book is a spellbinding account of one of the great and historic achievements of its time.
Advance Praise for Drawing the Line
"Drawing the Line combines a fast-moving story, a human drama, and a clear account of surveying in the era of George Washington. An intriguing interaction of politics and science."-CHARLES ROYSTER, Boyd Professor of History, Louisiana State University, and Winner of the Bancroft Prize in History
The Mason-Dixon line-surely the most famous surveyors' line ever drawn-represents one of the greatest and most difficult scientific achievements of its time. But behind this significant triumph is a thrilling story, one that has thus far eluded both historians and surveyors. In this engrossing narrative, professional surveyor Edwin Danson takes us on a fascinating journey with Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon, two gifted and exuberant English surveyors, through the fields and forests of eighteenth-century America. Vividly describing life in the backwoods and the hardships and dangers of frontier surveying, Drawing the Line discloses for the first time in 250 years many hitherto unknown surveying methods, revealing how Mason and Dixon succeeded where the best American surveyors of the period failed. In accessible, ordinary language, Danson masterfully throws the first clear light on the surveying of the Mason-Dixon line. Set in the social and historical context of pre-Revolutionary America, this book is a spellbinding account of one of the great and historic achievements of its time.
Advance Praise for Drawing the Line
"Drawing the Line combines a fast-moving story, a human drama, and a clear account of surveying in the era of George Washington. An intriguing interaction of politics and science."-CHARLES ROYSTER, Boyd Professor of History, Louisiana State University, and Winner of the Bancroft Prize in History
240 pages, Hardcover
First published December 6, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
November 30, 2014
Great book on how the Mason-Dixon line was actually surveyed, which is actually a pretty exciting story. Unfortunately, Danson has to explain the technical details behind the achievement, which many other readers found difficult to follow. (If you're not good at math, especially geometry, I can see that happening. The calculations and explanations aren't particularly daunting within the text because the appendices provide most of the detail, but just hearing about triangulation and taking a tangent is enough to scare off some readers.) So, if you're looking for more of a social history or an adventure, this isn't the book for you. (Frequent mention of the grueling cold nights lying on the ground just to calibrate the astronomical equipment reminds you just how hard the life of a scientist used to be.) But if you're curious about how Mason and Dixon determined the Pennsylvania-Maryland border (the actual nitty-gritty of surveying) and measured 1 degree of latitude with a high confidence interval for their era, than this is the book for you.
August 6, 2020
I live not far from the extreme western end of the line. In fact, I took my son on a hike up Brown's Hill in May of this year. I love the history behind the line and have always wanted to learn more. In American History textbooks, Mason and Dixon are a footnote. Most of the time people just associate the line with the Civil War and never really think to ask what it purpose was to begin with. Danson does a good job of giving us the first mainstream history of the famous line. But I do have some issues with the book.
For one thing, a lot of it went right over my head. I am a Social Studies teacher and I know all about Mr. Chew and the Harrison clock and all the side characters in this book. What I don't remember is all the math I learned 25 years ago...lol. So, for that it lost a star. That's no fault of the author but I got to the point where I just skimmed over passages that went into Trig or other stuff I have no prior knowledge of.
The other deduction comes from a few references he makes that I am not sure he understands. In the last segment of the line he talks about Braddock and his men buried in a mass grave. Braddock was never put in a mass grave. He was buried along the road near modern day Fort Necessity. The men that died at the Battle of the Monongahela were left where they and buried later. That is the mass grave I think he referring too but that is 40-50 miles away from where Braddock was laid to rest. There were a few others that I couldn't pin down where he was talking about and I believe one more mistake he made but I made my point.
Overall enjoyable but not a five star book.
For one thing, a lot of it went right over my head. I am a Social Studies teacher and I know all about Mr. Chew and the Harrison clock and all the side characters in this book. What I don't remember is all the math I learned 25 years ago...lol. So, for that it lost a star. That's no fault of the author but I got to the point where I just skimmed over passages that went into Trig or other stuff I have no prior knowledge of.
The other deduction comes from a few references he makes that I am not sure he understands. In the last segment of the line he talks about Braddock and his men buried in a mass grave. Braddock was never put in a mass grave. He was buried along the road near modern day Fort Necessity. The men that died at the Battle of the Monongahela were left where they and buried later. That is the mass grave I think he referring too but that is 40-50 miles away from where Braddock was laid to rest. There were a few others that I couldn't pin down where he was talking about and I believe one more mistake he made but I made my point.
Overall enjoyable but not a five star book.
January 12, 2016
Maps have fascinated me since childhood. Now that my travel distances have shortened, I enjoy reading of places I have visited or places I missed near my travels. The 232 pages of this book answer many questions, but also add other ideas I had not thought of. For example, as a child I knew that the jigsaw piece for Maryland had a very narrow connector between two parts. October, 1765, was the end of a work year and the end point of instructions that Mason had received from those who hired him. He blazed a tree at a definite location to continue their next year's work, if commissioned. But, looking west from a mountain, he was concerned that they might have to cross the Potomac twice, entering Virginia, thereby slicing Maryland. Fortunately, the line, as surveyed the next spring, passed less than two miles north of the Potomac at Hancock, Maryland, where I-70 now drops from Pennsylvania into Maryland on its way towards Baltimore. One July day we attended a baseball game in Cleveland Stadium, the next day traveled I-70 into Maryland, saw another game Camden Yards.
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I found the description of the surveying instruments enticing, that is, causing me to attempt learning more about how those tools are used.
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I enjoyed the way the author interwove historical events with the work of Jeremiah Dixon and Charles Mason.
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I found the description of the surveying instruments enticing, that is, causing me to attempt learning more about how those tools are used.
---
I enjoyed the way the author interwove historical events with the work of Jeremiah Dixon and Charles Mason.
June 13, 2024
More maps, less maths! This is a very technical telling of the surveying methods of the British surveyors Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon. However, I did learn the interesting answers to some of my questions.
1. Why was the survey necessary? To settle the dispute between the boundaries of Colonies Pennsylvania and Maryland, a dispute that had been going on for years and years.
2. When did the survey occur? Before the Revolutionary War, in the 1760's, after others had failed in years past.
3. How long did it take? Wow, about 4 years, in snow, sleet, rain, thunderstorms, mud, and rivers, when wagons got stuck up to their axels and beyond, before roads were paved or even graveled.
4. How far west did the line go? As I recall, at about the Great Divide, where the waters of the U.S. begin to flow west and not east.
5. What were the dangers? Maybe drowning, falling off a cliff, but also men: angry Indians and settlers, especially those evil Paxton Boys who had it in for Indians and settlers who supported them (like Quakers) and anyone in their way.
6. What was the most interesting story? Maybe the Paxton Boys, about 6 of them, who grew into a mob of about 500. It started with the brothers slaughtering a peaceful village of Indians (men, women and children). What was horrifying as well is that everyone was scared of them, so they did not get punished. Worse, many colonists joined with them, including preachers, declaring that God wanted the Indians destroyed as they were Canaanites; in other words, the only good Indian was a dead Indian. This was a sickening part of the history.
7. What happened to Mason and Dixon? Also kind of interesting, but read the book to find out. Well, okay, one becomes an American citizen and one remains British.
8. What did I come to appreciate? The technical aspects of the science of surveying, the instruments involved, discoveries in longitude and latitude, seafaring navigation, and some of the astronomers involved.
9. When did I nearly pull my hair out? At chapter 15 of 21. I thought if I read one more mathematical equation and methodology, I would swoon.
However, I'm glad I read it. The history of the period was woven in, including the French and Indian War, the stamp act, and the likes of Benjamin Franklin and George Washington. Well, and not to mention all those astronomers and surveyors!
1. Why was the survey necessary? To settle the dispute between the boundaries of Colonies Pennsylvania and Maryland, a dispute that had been going on for years and years.
2. When did the survey occur? Before the Revolutionary War, in the 1760's, after others had failed in years past.
3. How long did it take? Wow, about 4 years, in snow, sleet, rain, thunderstorms, mud, and rivers, when wagons got stuck up to their axels and beyond, before roads were paved or even graveled.
4. How far west did the line go? As I recall, at about the Great Divide, where the waters of the U.S. begin to flow west and not east.
5. What were the dangers? Maybe drowning, falling off a cliff, but also men: angry Indians and settlers, especially those evil Paxton Boys who had it in for Indians and settlers who supported them (like Quakers) and anyone in their way.
6. What was the most interesting story? Maybe the Paxton Boys, about 6 of them, who grew into a mob of about 500. It started with the brothers slaughtering a peaceful village of Indians (men, women and children). What was horrifying as well is that everyone was scared of them, so they did not get punished. Worse, many colonists joined with them, including preachers, declaring that God wanted the Indians destroyed as they were Canaanites; in other words, the only good Indian was a dead Indian. This was a sickening part of the history.
7. What happened to Mason and Dixon? Also kind of interesting, but read the book to find out. Well, okay, one becomes an American citizen and one remains British.
8. What did I come to appreciate? The technical aspects of the science of surveying, the instruments involved, discoveries in longitude and latitude, seafaring navigation, and some of the astronomers involved.
9. When did I nearly pull my hair out? At chapter 15 of 21. I thought if I read one more mathematical equation and methodology, I would swoon.
However, I'm glad I read it. The history of the period was woven in, including the French and Indian War, the stamp act, and the likes of Benjamin Franklin and George Washington. Well, and not to mention all those astronomers and surveyors!
abandoned
October 11, 2021This book both was and was not as described. It is, in fact, a highly detailed account of the science of surveying the Mason-Dixon Line. It was NOT a well-told history of the endeavor. The first couple chapters explained the ‘why’ pretty well but it got really dense quite quickly once the survey was commissioned. The science in the main body was difficult to get through and then the author would suggest reading more detail in the appendices.
In trying to set this one incident against a broad picture of the time, the author focused on the wrong things (in my opinion). For example: the reader gets side-stories about what happened when the head of the Royal Scientific Society died and a new one selected but no explanation of how that impacted the work of drawing the line. There were graphic descriptions of hostilities perpetrated against Indigenous People (from primary sources) that did not contribute AT ALL to the main story which made it feel cheap and gratuitous. For all the author’s narrative about the “highly detailed” journals left by Mason, a lot of the necessary day-to-day stuff was left out: what happened when there was disagreement? How did people know when/where to meet them in the middle of nowhere? People and events were introduced and then dropped—I had so many questions that weren’t answered.
Even the concluding chapter felt disjointed in what it did and did not talk about. One would think a chapter entitled ‘Legacy’ would at least briefly mention the historical importance of the Mason-Dixon Line but it didn’t. The work was finished and so, apparently, was the author.
Unrated—read 120 pages (up to Chapter 13) and the Last One but really wish I would’ve stopped sooner.
In trying to set this one incident against a broad picture of the time, the author focused on the wrong things (in my opinion). For example: the reader gets side-stories about what happened when the head of the Royal Scientific Society died and a new one selected but no explanation of how that impacted the work of drawing the line. There were graphic descriptions of hostilities perpetrated against Indigenous People (from primary sources) that did not contribute AT ALL to the main story which made it feel cheap and gratuitous. For all the author’s narrative about the “highly detailed” journals left by Mason, a lot of the necessary day-to-day stuff was left out: what happened when there was disagreement? How did people know when/where to meet them in the middle of nowhere? People and events were introduced and then dropped—I had so many questions that weren’t answered.
Even the concluding chapter felt disjointed in what it did and did not talk about. One would think a chapter entitled ‘Legacy’ would at least briefly mention the historical importance of the Mason-Dixon Line but it didn’t. The work was finished and so, apparently, was the author.
Unrated—read 120 pages (up to Chapter 13) and the Last One but really wish I would’ve stopped sooner.
June 8, 2016
This relatively short (224 pages of text in my review copy) but highly detailed account of how the Mason Dixon Line came to be will please anyone interested in the histories of America, Britain, or science, but it will be utterly fascinating for people like me with particular interests in southeast Pennsylvania (where I grew up), Maryland (where I live now), and the intellectual achievements of Enlightenment era.
Surveyors Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon were hired by the British government to settle an increasingly violent boundary dispute between colonial Maryland and Pennsylvania. Some of the details of the science (particularly the astronomy) that Mason and Dixon employed to determine where their line should go are beyond my comprehension, but the complexity of it amazed and impressed me. I also learned many new things about the early history of places I thought I knew well (Marcus Hook was a favorite haunt of Blackbeard the pirate?!), and the book showcases lots of interesting personalities--some familiar, like Ben Franklin, and some I hadn’t heard of before, like Thomas Cresap, an almost mythical character who helped turn the Pennsylvania-Maryland border dispute into something close to a war.
Since the original version of this book was published in 2000, the author discovered new details about the history of the Mason Dixon Line and the people involved, and that updated information has been incorporated into this revised edition.
Surveyors Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon were hired by the British government to settle an increasingly violent boundary dispute between colonial Maryland and Pennsylvania. Some of the details of the science (particularly the astronomy) that Mason and Dixon employed to determine where their line should go are beyond my comprehension, but the complexity of it amazed and impressed me. I also learned many new things about the early history of places I thought I knew well (Marcus Hook was a favorite haunt of Blackbeard the pirate?!), and the book showcases lots of interesting personalities--some familiar, like Ben Franklin, and some I hadn’t heard of before, like Thomas Cresap, an almost mythical character who helped turn the Pennsylvania-Maryland border dispute into something close to a war.
Since the original version of this book was published in 2000, the author discovered new details about the history of the Mason Dixon Line and the people involved, and that updated information has been incorporated into this revised edition.
June 22, 2018
Surveying has always interested me. I love the mix of history and problem solving that has to take place. This book is not the most exciting book you will ever read. But then again 18-century life was not all the exciting.
Danson does a good job of explaining the technical side of the instruments used to mark what we now refer to as the Mason-Dixon line. In those days you just were a surveyor, you had to be a mix of a mathematician, and astronomer.
Often discussed when bringing up slavery and the line between free and slave states, this is not where the Mason-Dixon line got its name. Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon were commisioned by the British government to establish the line between the Pennsylvania Colony (oversaw by William Penn's sons) and the Maryland Colony (oversaw by Charles Calvert). This survey was epic even by today's standards, but in the late 18th century it was unheard of to take on something like this.
The one thing that the men didn't seem to have a lot of problem with that men in later generations would be being killed off by the natives. As westward expansion began survey crews would be sent out and sometimes none of the 25+ men would ever be seen again. Sometimes only a handful would return. This crew did not have that problem and had native guides to lead them once they reach "Indian territory"
Danson does a good job of explaining the technical side of the instruments used to mark what we now refer to as the Mason-Dixon line. In those days you just were a surveyor, you had to be a mix of a mathematician, and astronomer.
Often discussed when bringing up slavery and the line between free and slave states, this is not where the Mason-Dixon line got its name. Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon were commisioned by the British government to establish the line between the Pennsylvania Colony (oversaw by William Penn's sons) and the Maryland Colony (oversaw by Charles Calvert). This survey was epic even by today's standards, but in the late 18th century it was unheard of to take on something like this.
The one thing that the men didn't seem to have a lot of problem with that men in later generations would be being killed off by the natives. As westward expansion began survey crews would be sent out and sometimes none of the 25+ men would ever be seen again. Sometimes only a handful would return. This crew did not have that problem and had native guides to lead them once they reach "Indian territory"
August 23, 2012
Danson has conjured up a fine account of the survey work executed to complete the most famous border in the world: the line drawn between Pennsylvania and Maryland, the so-called "Mason Dixon Line". The story concerns itself both with the causes of the 1760s survey and the detail work by the eponymous surveyors/astronomers/mathematicians. There is also appendix material pertinent to the more complex calculations such as the tangent line forming Delaware's western border. The storytelling is brisk and readable, but Danson doesn't quite know what to do with the mathematics, opting for a slightly more complex-than-minimal approach that I suspect would confound both non-mathematicians and skilled ones. It's also too bad Danson doesn't include a personal visit to the line, with photos of the more glorious "vistos" he tries so hard to describe. All in all, a fine treatment and well worth the read.
May 9, 2023
There has been various reviews made that readers have experienced problems with the technical surveying aspects included in this book. I'll mention it to Ed and get him to write 'the second instalment covering some text for the non surveyors amongst us'. Honestly though it is hard to inform or teach a reader about surveying when they have a blockage/confused over maths/arithmetic and algebra formula. I actually teach/tutor students about basic survey knowledge and levelling now for the last 3 years at Kew Royal Botanical Gardens in the U.K. Forty students recently had one day surveying and one day levelling with practical work thrown in at the end of each day. The London College of Garden Design students are on second careers in horticulture designs so have an idea of what survey and plans are all about and probably a high level of education. Even with that knowledge behind them they can get confused very easily although if they persevere the proverbial penny does drop, certainly on the mental idea of 3D contours and what they look like when covering a piece of land. The powers that be at LCGD together with the School of Horticulture at Kew would like me to write a simple basic introduction to land survey. I have loads of notes and examples on how to progress which they can access on line. Edwin was/is going to help me with the book/reference manual but very quickly it can get complex when errors, methods, environment, equipment used, scales, time allowed and what matters/important details are taken into consideration. I will get round to it as the fourteen second year students at the school each year are expected to provide a professional looking drawing at the end of only one weeks 'training'. So far this has passed all my expectations over the last three intakes but as I am not a teacher or lecturer and only offered my help when I retired as they were both in a pickle so to speak it was also a struggle for me on where to start. Please be assured that Drawing the line MK2 ... the untold story will hopefully follow to please your interest. Cheers for now and take care
March 26, 2024
fascinating tale of history. dovetails nicely with the great Longitude as it is the time period and concerns many of the same scientific advancements. It also provides a bit of insight into colonial and pre-revolutionary history that is often overlooked in our schooling. The one major concern I had was that much of the math and geometry are included in appendixes which I did not realize were there until well into the narrative (my failure) but also there was at no point a meaningful map of the frontier. I was forced to regularly refer to modern maps to see if I could orient myself to the topography that was being discussed.
April 18, 2025
I purchased this book after reading a biography of Thomas Cresap and the Pennsylvania Maryland border war and I wanted to learn more about the Mason Dixon line. The author goes into a lot of technical detail about the process of taking the measurements, and after re-reading those sections a few times, I was able to understand how the survey was taken and got an appreciation for the complexity. It was also interesting to follow their progress and learn how difficult the conditions were for them. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to learn more about the Mason Dixon line.
January 31, 2024
Reading the Thomas Pynchon novel Mason and Dixon made me intrigued to find out more facts about their work. I asked historians on Twitter what there was available to read and this book was recommended.
While it didn’t answer the questions that I had it was nonetheless interesting.
While it didn’t answer the questions that I had it was nonetheless interesting.
December 31, 2018
Good overview of the processes used during the time period, though it became a bit monotonous at times.
February 8, 2020
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May 31, 2024Recommended by Warren Zacher. It's about the real Mason Dixon line, which established the border between Pennsylvania and Maryland but isn't actually anything beyond that. Other than our notion of an imaginary line between Civil War North and South. It's supposed to be a page turner, but so far, it's pretty technical. Will plug away to see if the exciting stuff is still to come. And it isn't, so I returned it to the library. BUT it gave me enough background to have a great conversation with two surveyors near Settergren's hardware store. They pointed out that "rods" are still used for measuring streets, and that a typical residential city street is two rods (I think?) from the center of the road to the edge of the property line.
Note to self: "Unlike a traditional survey used to determine property lines or mark the route for a new road, a geodetic survey of a region accounts for the curvature of the Earth and even variations in this curvature." —Greg Miller, Smithsonian, 23 Oct. 2019
Etymology: late 19th century (early 17th century as geodetical ): from modern Latin geodaeticus, from geodaeta ‘land surveyor’, from Greek geōdaitēs, from geo- + daites ‘someone who divides’, from daiesthai ‘divide’.
Note to self: "Unlike a traditional survey used to determine property lines or mark the route for a new road, a geodetic survey of a region accounts for the curvature of the Earth and even variations in this curvature." —Greg Miller, Smithsonian, 23 Oct. 2019
Etymology: late 19th century (early 17th century as geodetical ): from modern Latin geodaeticus, from geodaeta ‘land surveyor’, from Greek geōdaitēs, from geo- + daites ‘someone who divides’, from daiesthai ‘divide’.
May 8, 2012
The book was not exactly what I was looking for. I was hoping for more of a historical account. This did include that, but the main focus was on the scientific details of how the equipment for the survey was developed and how the survey itself was conducted. Very technical. Nevertheless, I still found it very interesting and educational. I just slurred over a lot of the scientific lingo in the same way that people tell me they slurred over the Scandinavian names in the Dragon Tatoo series.
June 27, 2013
Pretty good, and I've been wanting to know more about them for a while now. But I wouldn't say it was the best written book I've ever read.
It seemed pretty academic to me and I had to pretty much ignore the more technical aspects of surveying they described, the techniques were way over my head by far. I'm very impressed with what Mason and Dixon accomplished without any modern tools.
It seemed pretty academic to me and I had to pretty much ignore the more technical aspects of surveying they described, the techniques were way over my head by far. I'm very impressed with what Mason and Dixon accomplished without any modern tools.
October 30, 2011
Stunning read. The technical stuff is easy to understand and the story behind the work of Mason and Dixon is engrossing.
If you're looking for an exciting account of how a pair of scientists achieved what no others could... this is it!
If you're looking for an exciting account of how a pair of scientists achieved what no others could... this is it!
Want to read
February 28, 2016I want to read this for history of surveying purposes.
July 13, 2016
The story behind the Mason-Dixon Line. An interesting subject, but, to be completely honest… it went into such exhaustive detail, I frequently skimmed and found myself bored.
September 29, 2017
Wow. This was way over my head....lots of math, lunar measurements, etc. It was educational and very good, I just got lost at times.
January 1, 2019
Absolutely fascinating. The work involved in this project is incredible to read about, and the author sets the scene well, too.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews