If Messrs. Mason and Dixon were seeking the southernmost point of the city, why
would they use the north wall of the southernmost house and not the south wall
of the same?
Lowell G. McManus
Leesville, Louisiana, USA
----- Original Message -----
From: "acroorca2002" <orc@...>
To: <BoundaryPoint@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, November 04, 2003 9:25 AM
Subject: [BoundaryPoint] mason dixon point of beginning continued
> reached the famous corner of south & second streets in philadelphia
> last night
> & scoured all the building facades along the south side of south
> street in both directions
> all the way to third street & then clear to front street too
> looking for some sort of commemorative announcement or historic marker
> of the mason dixon point of beginning
> at what is supposed to have been the southernmost point of
> philadelphia in 1763
>
> & tho philadelphia is full of historical signs
> since after all most of history did originally happen here
> i could find no trace of the history i was looking for
>
> exhausted i went to sleep right on the corner there hoping for a dream
>
> had a great one too
> & continued the try this morning at the free library
> where i am posting this interim report before returning to the scene
> for a closer look
>
> here at the library i have found the official 1762 map of
> philadelphia which mason & dixon were most likely working from
>
> it does indeed show cedar aka south street to be the southern limit
> but only as far east as second avenue
> where a narrow proruption of the plotted street plan is shown
> extending much farther south along the delaware river
>
> hmmm
> i cant figure out why mason & dixon didnt use the southernmost point
> of this proruption
> tho there is probably a perfectly good reason
>
> in any case
> because the proruption ends precisely at second street
> we can be pretty sure their point of beginning
> reportedly near second street
> is just east of second street rather than just west of it
> since that would be outside the city by either definition
>
> moreover the 1762 map shows only one house anywhere near the corner
> & it stands between 100 & 175 feet east of second street
>
> the next house on this street btw is at the corner of front & south
> & couldnt have been the right house
> or history would have said front & south rather than second & south
>
> so this single solitary house or its successor stands a very good
> chance of being the house i am looking for
>
> & since philadelphia tilts a bit southeast
> the northeast corner of the house
> is farther south than the its northwest corner
>
> so now i will go back & try to find & put my finger on precisely this
> northeast corner of precisely this building on the south side of
> south street precisely 175 feet east of second street
>
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