Back in 2012, Edith Bacon had a dream. "Edith decided she wanted to see all the Mason-Dixon markers in Cecil County, (Md.)," said Emily Kilby, Edith's sister. The two senior citizens decided to try to visit the 23 markers, each located a mile apart from each other, which were placed by surveyors Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon in 1765. The sisters live in Cecil County, Md., about a mile south of the line. Kilby's job was to do the logistics work. "(Many) markers are on private land and in weird locations," said Kilby. "There's no easy access, and neither (Pennsylvania nor Maryland) owns them. "

Bacon and Kilby will share what they learned on their quest in a multimedia presentation called "Edith and Emily's Excellent Adventure" as guests of the New Holland Area Historical Society (NHAHS) at Garden Spot Village (GSV), 433 S. Kinzer Ave., New Holland, on Thursday, Sept. 25, at 7 p.m. The event is free, and the public is welcome to attend.

While the Mason-Dixon Line is often associated with the Civil War, the sisters were emphatic that the line's purpose has much more to do with land rights and boundaries than with a demarcation between the north and the south. Kilby explained that Maryland was founded by the Calvert family. "Lord Baltimore was his title, and that land was granted in 1632," Kilby explained. "(William) Penn (founder of Pennsylvania) comes along almost 50 years later (1681), and he is granted his big parcel." Kilby noted that the original Maryland grant went as far as the Delaware Bay and would have included Philadelphia. Penn, on the other hand, thought his property extended far into Maryland. "(Penn) granted the Nottingham lots, which are now part of Maryland," Kilby explained. Without a clear border between the colonies, Pennsylvania residents were claiming property in Maryland, and taxing of land was confusing. "This went on for almost a century," explained Kilby, who noted that Mason and Dixon who were hired by both families to decipher the puzzle, with work being done only during the warmer months. The entire line took nearly five years to complete.

Unlike Mason and Dixon, Bacon and Kilby worked during the cooler months when brush and vines were less likely to obscure the markers. "It was a matter of curiosity and adventure," said Bacon. "It combined hiking, exploring, and being outside." Once Bacon had found a few related markers, she wanted to find them all. The markers the women were seeking are made of limestone, and each is 4 to 5 feet long. Quarried and carved in England, each is marked with and M on one side for Maryland and a P on the other for Pennsylvania. Every fifth mile, a crown stone with the family seal carved into it was placed.

According to Kilby, the sisters are the only living persons known to have seen all 23 markers. One was located in a quarry, and the sisters were able to see it before it was removed to a safer location for preservation. Another was within a barn, and a groundskeeper allowed them access. "One we had to dig up in the middle of an Amish cornfield," said Kilby, who noted that marker was on land that had once belonged to a cousin of the sisters. "The coordinates were very accurate," she noted, adding that she could tell when they hit the concrete base of the marker and found that only the stub was left. Five of the markers are located within Lancaster County.

"The last one was a Boy Scout reservation, and I had to wait a bit to get permission," noted Bacon. "Each one added its own adventure." Bacon stated that the most difficult marker to access required them to climb boulders.

Mason and Dixon used celestial navigation and trigonometry to complete the line. "I have no notion of how you do celestial navigation," Kilby said. "(Mason and Dixon) had to find the parallel by looking for the stars." Kilby stated that the surveyors carried very delicate instruments and took about 40 people in their entourage. The start of the work was delayed by inclement weather. "They were camped in what is now Delaware, and they had planned to start in late March," noted Kilby, who added that a three-day snowstorm left 3 feet of snow in the forest and delayed the surveyors until April 5, 1765. "They had this entourage of people, pack animals, and cooks, and they provisioned themselves as they went along," shared Kilby.

The Mason-Dixon Line talk will be the first of several NHAHS presentations to be held at GSV in 2025 and into 2026. More information about NHAHS may be found at https://nhhistorical.com or by searching for "New Holland Area Historical Society" on Facebook.