WAYNESBORO – “The History of the Mason-Dixon Line” will be explored by Ray Harbaugh of Waynesboro during a free program at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 31, in Waynesboro Theatre, 75 W. Main St.
The local history presentation sponsored by Waynesboro Industrial Museum will feature stories that shaped the area and early America. Antiques artifacts will be displayed.
The Mason Dixon Line determined the boundaries between Pennsylvania and Maryland after 81 years of property rights border conflict, according to Harbaugh. The Line was not called the “Mason-Dixon” line for another 52 years until 1820 when the Missouri Compromise referred to this dividing line as the division of states north of it Free, and those south of it Slave. Missouri was granted statehood as a slave state and Maine admitted as a free state, hence the political compromise, he added.
This surveying achievement was the first geodetic line created in the colonies and was the result of accomplished men, using the most accurate science, math and instruments available in 1763, Harbaugh said. “Englishmen Charles Mason, an astronomer and Jeremiah Dixon, a surveyor, made history in our local area before we were even a nation, by creating the line that bears their names. The nearly five years of effort has proven to be extremely accurate by current day resurveys and stands as a testament to their persistent effort and meticulous detail,” he added.
Harbaugh will answer the following questions and more during the presentation: “How did they measure this line? What challenges did they face? What geopolitical pressures brought about the decision to measure this line? Who benefited most from this new colony division? What was the cost of their work, personally and financially?”
Harbaugh, a life-long resident of Waynesboro, is a graduate of Waynesboro Area Senior High School and earned a variety of engineering degrees, including one in land surveying, from Penn State University. He retired in 2021 and enjoys researching the antique tools in his collection and buying more, as well as his family ancestry and the Mason-Dixon Line.
