Transpeninsular Line
Encyclopedia
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
and Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. The border turns roughly north from the midpoint of the line towards the Twelve-Mile Circle
The Twelve-Mile Circle
The Twelve-Mile Circle is an approximately circular arc which forms most of the boundary between the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the State of Delaware in the United States...
, which forms much of the remainder of the Delaware border.
Overview
In 1751, a line was surveyed straight across the Delmarva PeninsulaDelmarva Peninsula
The Delmarva Peninsula is a large peninsula on the East Coast of the United States, occupied by most of Delaware and portions of Maryland and Virginia...
beginning at what at least some early Swedish settlers called Cape Hinlopen, which was to be the southern boundary of Delaware. This place is better known as Fenwick Island
Fenwick Island, Delaware
As of the census of 2000, there were 342 people, 178 households, and 126 families residing in the town. The population density was 994.5 people per square mile . There were 666 housing units at an average density of 1,936.7 per square mile . The racial makeup of the town was 99.42% White, and 0.58%...
. Twenty-four miles north is another cape named Cape Henlopen
Cape Henlopen
Cape Henlopen is the southern cape of the Delaware Bay along the Atlantic coast of the United States. It lies in the state of Delaware, near the town of Lewes, Delaware...
near Lewes, Delaware
Lewes, Delaware
Lewes is an incorporated city in Sussex County, Delaware, USA, on the Delmarva Peninsula. According to the 2010 census, the population is 2,747, a decrease of 6.3% from 2000....
. Various spellings of henlopen mean "entering in" or "approaching." The confusion of the names was the crux of a long standing dispute between the Penns (Delaware) and the Calverts (Maryland), the latter claiming that the Lewes' cape should have been the start of the boundary line. Ironically, it was a map commissioned by Charles Calvert
Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore
Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore, 3rd Proprietor and 17th Proprietary Governor of Maryland, FRS was a British nobleman and Proprietary Governor of the Province of Maryland...
in 1732, which showed Cape Hinlopen at Fenwick Island, that was used to decide the matter. Calvert had intended the Lewes' cape to be so named, but he only discovered the mistake after he had submitted it to the English court deciding the case. He failed in his later attempts to have the court reject his own map. If the actual Cape Henlopen near Lewes had been used as the start of the line, Delaware would be about one thousand square miles smaller, over a third of its current area.
The line was accepted by Charles Mason
Charles Mason
Charles Mason was an English astronomer who made significant contributions to 18th-century science and American history, particularly through his involvement with the survey of the Mason-Dixon line, which came to mark the division between the northern and southern United States...
and Jeremiah Dixon
Jeremiah Dixon
Jeremiah Dixon was an English surveyor and astronomer who is perhaps best known for his work with Charles Mason, from 1763 to 1767, in determining what was later called the Mason-Dixon line....
(of Mason-Dixon line
Mason-Dixon line
The Mason–Dixon Line was surveyed between 1763 and 1767 by Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon in the resolution of a border dispute between British colonies in Colonial America. It forms a demarcation line among four U.S. states, forming part of the borders of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and...
fame) in 1763 when they were engaged to survey the borders between Maryland and the grants to William Penn
William Penn
William Penn was an English real estate entrepreneur, philosopher, and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, the English North American colony and the future Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He was an early champion of democracy and religious freedom, notable for his good relations and successful...
(Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
and Delaware).
The line splits several Delmarva communities, separating them between the two states. The best-known are Delmar, Delaware
Delmar, Delaware
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,407 people, 542 households, and 344 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,498.9 people per square mile . There were 595 housing units at an average density of 633.9 per square mile...
, and Delmar, Maryland
Delmar, Maryland
Delmar is a town in Wicomico County, Maryland, United States. The population was 3,003 at the 2010 census. It is included in the Salisbury, Maryland Metropolitan Statistical Area. When the population is added to "twin city" Delmar, Delaware the town's total population is 4,600...
, which derive their name from the two states' names.
A Transpeninsular Line marker can be found near the Fenwick Island Lighthouse, at the northern boundary of Ocean City, Maryland
Ocean City, Maryland
Ocean City, sometimes known as OC, or OCMD, is an Atlantic Ocean resort town in Worcester County, Maryland, United States. Ocean City is widely known in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is a frequent destination for vacationers in that area...
, located on 146th Street. The midpoint Transpeninsular Line marker can be found on the north side of Route 54 about halfway between Delmar and Mardela Springs, Maryland
Mardela Springs, Maryland
Mardela Springs is a town in Wicomico County, Maryland, United States. The population was 364 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Salisbury, Maryland Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Mardela Springs is located at ....
. This marker is also the southern endpoint of the Mason-Dixon Line.
See also
- The WedgeThe Wedge (border)The Wedge is a small tract of land along the borders of Delaware, Maryland and Pennsylvania. Ownership of the land was disputed until 1921; it is now recognized as part of Delaware. The tract was created primarily due to the shortcomings of contemporary surveying techniques...
- The Twelve-Mile CircleThe Twelve-Mile CircleThe Twelve-Mile Circle is an approximately circular arc which forms most of the boundary between the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the State of Delaware in the United States...
- Mason-Dixon lineMason-Dixon lineThe Mason–Dixon Line was surveyed between 1763 and 1767 by Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon in the resolution of a border dispute between British colonies in Colonial America. It forms a demarcation line among four U.S. states, forming part of the borders of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and...