By: John Roberson
Have you ever looked at a map of the United States and just starred at it for a while asking yourself “who were the geniuses (or idiots) behind that boundary line?" If you haven’t, I don’t blame you. It’s not something most people find enjoyable. For those of you who have no desire to stare at a map don’t worry, because I have discovered the most interesting state boundary line and am sparing you from having to bust out a map to find it — the boundary between Delaware and Pennsylvania, known as the “Twelve-Mile Circle”.
The twelve-mile circle refers to the arc that forms the boundary between Delaware and Pennsylvania. After noticing this arc, I began to research this boundary to figure out why it is arc. It turns out that his is the only border that is a true arc border in the United States. Why is this? Well, borders are generally based upon straight lines that have been formally delineated by surveyors or upon natural phenomena such as rivers, ridgelines, or coasts. Imagine, though, the sheer wackiness of a boundary based on a circle and you can begin to realize why I was interested in this. (As you will see later on, this arc not only affects the boundary between Delaware and Pennsylvania, but also the boundary between Delaware and New Jersey). Just envision the challenges of surveying this border. Rather than tracking a straight line, the surveyors needed to account for an infinite number of twelve-mile spokes emanating from a central point. Why would they go through the trouble of doing this, long before computerized systems that help ease the process of land surveying?
Come to find out, the origins of the twelve-mile circle date back to 1682 when William Penn, the father of Pennsylvania, asked and was granted, from King Charles II, a path of land to connect his colony (Pennsylvania) to the Delaware River. The land to be granted was to be measured as a 12-mile circle, from the courthouse in New Castle, and was to encompass all lands within this circle west and north of the Delaware River. (http://www.dgs.udel.edu/publications/infoseries/info6.aspx)
As the years passed, William Penn noticed that the inhabitants of this newly acquired land were much more “diverse” and “cultured” compared to his much more conservative Quaker counterparts in Pennsylvania so he decided to keep this land separate from Pennsylvania. In the 18th Century, this land became known as the Colony of Delaware and eventually became the first Colony to ratify the U.S. Constitution, thus became known as the “First State”.
So other than being a geographic curiosity and a great trivia question, you’re probably wondering does this information really matter today? Well, that is a very good question because it indeed does, and it comes with a lot of historical and legal implications. First, Delaware owns all of the river islands within the circle. Pea Patch Island is one of those islands and today it is the site of Fort Delaware State Park. Pea Patch Island emerged as a mud bank in the 18th Century. But by the early 19th century it had grown large enough for the U.S. Military to construct a Fort on the site. It was originally designed to help defend the river and the approach to important commercial centers such as Wilmington and Philadelphia. It never saw action but it did serve as a prison for captured Confederate soldiers during the Civil War. Pea Patch Island increased further in size when the Army Corps of Engineers dredged a shipping channel nearby and used it as a convenient resting place for fill dirt. More germane to our topic though, and since Pea Patch Island falls within the circle, all 288 acres automatically belong to Delaware.
(http://www.destateparks.com/park/fort-delaware/ )
Also notice, there are even portions of Delaware on the "wrong" side of the river, accessible by land only from New Jersey. Notice where the border cleaves through the shoreline of New Jersey by Fort Mott State Park. The Delaware River was backfilled (perhaps by the Corps of Engineers) along this curve after the establishment of the original boundary. Logically it would seem that the entirety of Finns Point should belong to New Jersey. After all, the boundary was supposed to be the mean low tide mark. However, States are very unwilling to cede territory and therefore it remains apart of Delaware to this date.
The place where the 12 Mile Circle crosses the Delaware River on the south side presents another interesting anomaly:
The arc departs from the low tide mark along the New Jersey shore and once again becomes a state border out to the river’s thalweg (river valley), clipping through the tip of a small peninsula which falls into Delaware territory. Good luck trying to get to that spot by land, though. Just to the south (and viewable in the satellite image) are two nuclear power plants, and the only road that seems to head towards the peninsula goes right through those sensitive, high-security areas. Boating might be a better option but my guess is that it might still be within a sensitive area.
The western edge of the arc, along the Maryland border, also posed an interesting controversy that wasn’t resolved until 1921. The Mason-Dixon line, surveyed by Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon in 1767, was drawn to solve the land dispute between Maryland and Pennsylvania. However, after the line was drawn, no one realized how the final shape would turn out due to the difficulty of surveying the twelve-mile circle. It turns out that there was a small gap “Wedge” that was left over between the three states (Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania).
Originally, Maryland did not claim part of the land because it lied east of the Mason-Dixon boundary line and Delaware and Pennsylvania were still considered the same Colony. It wasn’t until after The Revolution, and Delaware became its own sovereign State, did the dispute arise. Pennsylvania claimed the “Wedge” because it was beyond the Twelve-Mile Circle and past the Maryland side of the Mason-Dixon Line, therefore neither apart of Maryland nor Delaware. So by default it should be part of Pennsylvania. However, Delaware also claimed the “Wedge” because it was never intended that Pennsylvania should go below the northern border of Maryland. The North Line is logically an extension of the Tangent Line and therefore should separate Maryland and Delaware. Even though the “Wedge” is outside the Twelve-Mile Circle, because it is south of the compromise line, this land should be apart of Delaware. It was until 1921 that Pennsylvania finally agreed that this land was indeed apart of Delaware. http://chriswhong.com/mdbounds/
Amazingly, the Delaware border still causes friction between to this day. In the United States, the Supreme Court has original jurisdiction over disputes between individual states, and there have been three separate cases dealing with the border in recent decades, all titled New Jersey v. Delaware. All three Supreme Court decisions were in regards to the Delaware boundary imposing across the Delaware River to the New Jersey shore. All three court decisions upheld the existing boundary. The latest case was decided only quite recently, on March 31, 2008. To read more on the case click here http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/16/nyregion/16gas.html?_r=1
The energy company BP wished to construct a LNG (Liquified Natural Gas) pipeline and loading facility within the Delaware River that would terminate at a storage and processing plant on the New Jersey side. Delaware denied BP’s petition as a violation of its Coastal Zone Act because the project would require dredging of Delaware land below the river. New Jersey stood to profit handsomely from the facility so they field suit against Delaware. Delaware prevailed in a 6-2 decision and the border still stands unchanged in its current configuration, the low-tide mark of the New Jersey shore.
So next time you’re bored and are thinking what you can do to spend your time, pull out a map and ask yourself “I wonder why that is”. You never know where your searching will take you.
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