Crossing the Mason and Dixon Line: “Pennsylvania at Last!”

History: Confederates in Robert E. Lee's invasion of the North in 1863 marched through this area at a rate exceeding 30 miles per day. Since this part of Maryland is so narrow, it became a daily routine for some to wade across the Potomac River in the morning and cross the Mason and Dixon Line by afternoon. While crossing enemy country, the marchers took supplies from mills, storehouses and farmers under a regular system ordered by General Robert E. Lee. According to General Jubal A. Early, there was no marauding or indiscriminate plundering, as such acts were expressly forbidden.

More to Explore: Get your game on in nearby Hagerstown, where you can take in the action of the Hagerstown Speedway's professional car racing, cheer for the Hagerstown Suns minor league baseball team, or chill out with ice skating or hockey at the Hagerstown Ice and Sports Complex. If that isn't enough to get you moving, tee off at eleven area golf courses or get your adrenaline pumping with a canoe or tube trip on Antietam Creek. No matter what your recreational obsession, Hagerstown has it.

Photo Credits:

1. "Cartoon portraying Franklin Pierce's stance on slavery as viewed by those North and South of the Mason and Dixon Line. North in the left panel and South in the right."
2. "Photograph of General Jubal Early" Photos courtesy of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.