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Show fr.fr.X-.X--v--X--ifr-X--X--X- Controversy Ended by "Mason and Dixon" Line Pennsylvania and Maryland. The line has nothing to do with slavery, except as it ultimately hecame the boundary line hetween free states and the slave, though that was not the thought at the time. When the line was established slavery existed in Pennsylvania as it did in the colonies, and was not abolished abol-ished in Pennsylvania until 1TS0 and then only by a law providing that all colored persons thereafter born within the state should be set free at the age of twenty-eight years. As a boundary division the "L-ason I and Dixon" line got its name from the two men who surveyed and established it, Charles Mason and John Dixon. It was run by agreement between the Culverts, of Maryland, and William Penn to settle a controversy regard ing the boundary line between Pennsylvania Penn-sylvania and Maryland. Mason and Dixon came from England in 1764 for that express purpose. They were both men of scientific attainments, Mason a-, one time being assistant at the ro.. ul observatory at Greenwich. They ran the line with great care, cutting a space eight feet wide through the forest and setting up a stone at the end of each mile. Every fifth stone was larger than the others and had on me north side the arms of William Pei.a and on the south those of Lord Baltimore. The smaller, intermediate stones had the letter "P" on the north surface and "M" on the south, for I . |