Mason and Dixon, At Your Service

[Rick F.]

As everyone knows, the Mason-Dixon Line separates Maryland and Pennsylvania. It runs almost exactly East and West for a total of about 244 miles. My goal on October 23 was to follow the line as closely as possible and to enjoy whatever the resulting route had to offer.

My route encompassed roughly half of the full Mason-Dixon Line. I started in Maryland Line, MD and went West to the vicinity of Hancock, MD. In the process, since very few roads actually run right along the M-D Line, I crossed into and back out of Pennsylvania 52 times. And I had a great time.

The morning began at only 33 degrees, which made for a chilly drive with the top down. I quickly encountered a nice scene of a frost-covered pasture, a barn in the background, and the early morning sunlight just beginning to catch the trees and their fall colors. But when I stopped and was setting up the photo, suddenly this was all I could see:



Talk about the Hairy Eyeball! Well, this friendly fellow couldn't find any frost-free grass on his side of the fence and asked if, perchance, I'd be willing to pull some of the tall, unfrosted grass from my side of the fence for him. Well, how could I refuse?



As it happened, I had to feed this guy about 40 handfuls of tall grass before he'd quit following me along the fence and blocking my view. Eventually, I got the picture I was after.



A little further on, I encountered the twin Oakland Churches. I'm guessing that the congregation outgrew the original brick church and built the larger frame church right next door.



This rather dilapidated barn appeared next, with its stern warnings about not feeding the horses (ulp!), trespassing, or dumping cats…



So far, I was having a great time criss-crossing the Mason-Dixon Line and seeing the sights. One of them included Ernie, Ernie's friend, and Ernie's friend's 1952 Chevy (?) hot rod. Earnie himself had several nice-looking rods in the garage.



I chatted with them for a while and learned that the Mason-Dixon Line goes right along the boundary of Ernie's property, pretty much following the white fence in the background here:



Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon were astronomers from England who surveyed the boundary between Maryland and Pennsylvania to settle a longstanding dispute between the Calvert and Penn families regarding exactly who had what. They conducted the survey during 1763-1767. They encountered hostile Native Americans at that point and had to end their work; it was later completed to the Western end of Maryland in 1773. Using stones brought from England, Mason and Dixon placed marker stones every mile, with every fifth mile marked by a special stone bearing the coat of arms of the Calvert family on one side and the Penn family on the other.

As it turned out, one of the original M-D marker stones was on Ernie's property! Although I'd tried to find one of these increasingly rare stones on a previous trip, I'd never seen one before. Ernie graciously encouraged me to go have a look. The stones are marked "P" on one side and "M" on the other, indicating (naturally) Pennsylvania and Maryland, respectively. About 2 feet of the stone is above ground, with another 4 feet below. They weigh about 660 pounds each.



As I headed back on my way, Ernie suggested a couple of photo vantage spots, including this vista:



He didn't mention the old delivery van lurking in the woods. I found it only because I felt I was being watched…



Back on the road, there were beautiful fall scenes everywhere. I gritted my teeth and only stopped for every third one.




Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted what looked like the ruins of a massive brick building. Sure enough… I had no idea what it used to be—until I remembered that I was on Baughman's Mill Road. I concluded that this was what's left of the mill. The nearby house and a barking dog prevented any further exploration, unfortunately.



Did I mention how pretty everything was, despite the somewhat cloudy day? And the temperature had climbed all the way to 43 degrees.



I'd been through Lineboro, MD several times, but I'd never approached it from the South before. The route offered even more pretty scenes, as well as several level crossings with non-automated warning signs.



With Halloween approaching, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised by some of the roadside attractions. Still, this one was a little startling. (A few miles farther on, there was a wrecked car next to the road, on its side, with dents, broken windshield, hundreds of bullet holes—and a bloody hand coming through the windshield! More "handiwork" from the same folks, I suspect.)



Everywhere I looked there were historic farms and farm houses. The great majority looked to be actively lived-in and well-maintained.



Some even had a pond or two. This particular farm was named "Four Ponds," so it may hold the record.



Back in 1860, a portion of St. Bartholomew's congregation split off and built their own little church, originally called Mt. Zion Church. It's now known as Wentz Meeting House (complete with separate doors for men and women), but it's no longer used.



Anyone need a pumpkin? They've probably just gone on sale.



Okay, the Buick Special convertible is easy to identify. And it wasn't too hard to figure out that the coupe on the left as a 1955 Packard Patrician. But what can the snub-nosed sedan in the middle possibly be?



North of Taneytown, MD, I stopped on Harney Road to walk across a bridge over the Monocacy River, looking for photo op's. What I found instead was evidence of a job well done…



…and evidence of a job not-so-well done. In fact, roughly one in five of these joints was missing the steel cylinder that is supposed to hold the bridge together!



Nearby, this crew seemed to be eagerly awaiting the collapse of the bridge.



Every time I go by a side road with an interesting name (e.g., "Old Cave Road," "Covered Bridge Road," etc.), I'm tempted to figure out how it got its name. So naturally I had to investigate "Natural Dam Road." Sure enough, I found a natural dam made of rock, left over by one glacier or another, that spanned the entire creek and created a waterfall of several feet.



I wanted to investigate more closely, but the only way to get to the dam itself was by means of this very old, not-reassuring, rusty metal scaffolding. No one in their right mind would try it. Fortunately, that didn't exclude me, so I stretched from one rung to the next and eventually made it to the dam. (In fairness, any kid could have done it in 30 seconds flat. It took me 5 or 6 minutes.)



As you can see, someone has assisted the natural dam, which had collapsed or worn away in the middle of the river. Still, it was an impressive sight.



Before long, I'd come to Emmitsburg, MD, entering from the North for the first time. The stately St. Joseph's Catholic Church has served congregations since 1841. It also contributed to a bit of a Catholic scandal during the late 1990s and early 2000s, when a woman named Gianna Talone-Sullivan saw visions of Mary, "Our Lady of Emmitsburg," during the prayer services held at the church on Thursday evenings. Mary warned Gianna of various catastrophic impending events, and Gianna warned anyone who would listen. The national officials of the Catholic Church were not amused, and the battle has ensued every since.



This is the sketch made of Our Lady of Emmitsburg based on Gianna's description.



Continuing on, I discovered that even the railroad boxcars were scenic and featured fall colors.



Tiny towns appear all along the Mason-Dixon Line. In addition to Maryland Line, MD, where I started, I found Maryland Line, PA. In Ringgold, MD, there is a "Brethren in Christ" meeting house, perched on the side of a slope. Its proper entrance is on the uphill side, complete with separate doors again. The "Brethren in Christ" began in Pennsylvania as an offshoot of the Anabaptists and were more commonly known as "River Brethren" originally. Ironically, for this peaceful religion, a horrific shoot-out occurred on the meeting house grounds a few years ago, and the murderer drove his pick-up straight through the cemetery as he tried to escape, knocking over any number of headstones. He survived (to be sentenced to life in prison); his girlfriend and a police officer did not. If you're looking for someplace haunted to spend Halloween, this would be a good place to start…



Very old houses along the Mason-Dixon Line seemed to come in three varieties. First we have the old-but-livable places. This one is for sale, and it appears to have central air conditioning!



Other houses are not-so-livable anymore. This mammoth house sits alongside Marsh Creek (which, South of the Mason-Dixon Line, joins Rock Creek to form the Monocacy River). You can't help but wonder who used to live there, over how many years, what their lives were like, and What Went Wrong?



The third category of old homes is the ruins, such as this modest house that suffered some catastrophic event, probably fire. There were examples of each variety practically everywhere I looked.



In my continuing pursuit of roads with interesting names, I took Iron Bridge Road—only to find that the iron bridge itself was neither scenic nor interesting. I continued on, however, in part because the Zumo GPS indicated that the road ended (but the real road continued). It quickly became a narrow, bumpy, slightly tortuous path alongside the West Branch of Antietam Creek. Now, no self-respecting BMW Z4 driver would ever take his or her gleaming sports car down a road like this one. But if you end up on such a road anyway, rest assured that it can be done.



And the reward is that you find some great things to take pictures of, including the following:





The bridge over the Antietam, incidentally, looked pretty sturdy. But a closer inspection revealed otherwise. If you're going to cross on a Beemer, as opposed to a Bimmer, pick your path carefully!



The town of Leitersburg, MD merits a longer visit sometime. Among many very old buildings, it featured this little cabin…



…and this former schoolhouse, which was home to the town's famous "Haunted House" for 30 years. It closed after the 2007 season, sadly. After all, it looks like everyone was having a really good time in the picture from the last event.




A few years ago, while motorcycling through Pennsylvania (and before I had a GPS), I became hopelessly lost. (See In Search of Battletown.) By chance, I encountered a beautiful little pond with what may have been a small mill in the background. I now know that this spot is near the Mason-Dixon Line, at the intersection of Marsh and Leitersburg Roads, since I rediscovered it on my current trip. The geese were glad to see me again.



You know how you tell whether large cargo ships are loaded or not by how high they sit in the water? Well, I kept looking at several of the geese trying to figure out why they were floating so high. It finally dawned on me that they were actually standing in shallow parts of the pond.



And they were a handsome sight in the late-afternoon sun.



Near Lehman's Mill on the Maryland side of the Line, there were a number of beautiful old houses, with this one being my favorite:



As I continued on Westward, I stopped to see if I could get an interesting fall-color-reflection picture in Conococheague Creek, with this so-so result.



However, as I walked back to the Z4, I realized that there was a mammoth stone ruin sitting on the steep bank on the other side of Wishard Road. It was hard to photograph, given all the trees and underbrush, but it looked like it might have been a mill. This is one small part of the structure, with a semi-circular stone wall.



To get a better look at the place, I decided to climb the embankment. This involved hanging onto trees and branches, since the bank was at a steep uphill angle. It also involved going through some of the nastiest thorn bushes I've ever encountered. After 20 minutes of climbing, sweating, cussing, and bleeding, I got to the top—where I discovered that you couldn't see anything of the ruins! So, back down I went, with more sweating, cussing, etc. Later, back home, I had to pick a dozen or more thorns out of the heavy leather of my shoes—that's how tough the little buggers were. And they were shaped exactly like shark's teeth. In fact, here's a picture of one of the little buggers. It's lying on a piece of lined notepad paper, indicating that the thorn is only about 0.15" long. How such a little thing could be tough enough to become deeply embedded in heavy leather (not to mention my hands, arms, and legs) is beyond me!


Fortunately, back on the road, I was rewarded with yet another continuing stream of beautiful sights as the sun began to set.




Oh, and the roads themselves were often entertainingly twisty and challenging, so it was a lot of fun to drive along and enjoy the acceleration, braking, and cornering capabilities of the Z4. In the process, I discovered that "Hanging Rock Road" came by its name honestly.



Later on the same road, I thought I saw a low-slung coupe well off the road in the woods. I doubled-back to see (for maybe the 30th time that day), and discovered what turned out to be a 1952 Willys Aero-Eagle. I'd never heard of this model, although I'm somewhat familiar with pre-war Willys. This one was low-slung primarily because it was missing all of its wheels and tires and (consequently) was sitting directly on the ground. It was in very poor shape, but it was still fun to come across an unknown-to-me classic American car in the middle o' nowhere.



By now, I'd reached my destination of Hancock just as the sun was almost gone. It was time to head back to Catonsville.



But, I had to stop one more time for this slightly eerie picture of a stone church and cemetery, with the last rays of light bathing everything in "painted silver light," as Gov't Mule put it.



Almost all of the roads criss-crossing the Mason-Dixon Line lived up to their names, including Baughman's Mill, Natural Dam, and Hanging Rock. I'll assume that Bosley School, Grave Run, and Polecat Hollow Roads also lived up to their names, despite my (sometimes fortunate) lack of direct evidence. So, the next time you're driving along, and you see a road with an intriguing name, go investigate!

Rick F.

[wzjra]

Awesome pictures as always! Wish we had routes like these in the Bay Area.

[johanness]

^^^ you've just got a different kind of scenic-beautiful.

Great shots OP!

[WhoU4]

Rick,

Amazing... I think it's interesting that you took the time to notice the workers initials on the bridge over the Monocacy River, and then took the time to find that others (along with the cylinders) were missing. If you had some whiteout you could have placed "Incomplete" at the holes missing the cylinders. You are very good at paying attention to the details, as I know you must have to be for your job.

As for the rusty metal scaffolding at the dam, it kind of looks like the scaffolding had the stability of a traveling carnival ride... Fun!

Beautiful colors with your natural scenery shots, we pretty much lost all of our leaves last week with our wind storm. Also your final shot of the cemetery is a really fitting for Halloween, nice cool blue tone.

BTW, feeling a bit shameful hearing you had your top down at 33... I like it to be at least 38-40. Today I think was the first day I drove it exclusively with the top up when it wasn't raining and above 38.

Glad your getting some time to Relax.

Dave

[zkeeper]

Once again...over the TOP. I am the fellow [zkeeper] who last spring suggested you start thinking of Coffee Table books...."On The Road Again",
"Z Perspective", "Zeeing the Counties East" whatever- but you have taken me back to some roads and areas I have only visited once.

We just returned from a Louisville, Ky. BMW club chapter Fall Run...and while the roads and weather were pure Z favored, the colors were not quite there.
Greetings from downtown Beijing, where I have returned for another assignment--but THIS surely helped complete fall in the Z for me....bests, ML.

[ShakyDog]

You need to make a coffee table book with all of your adventures.

I know several of us here would own it. Let us know when we can order it online :-)

Steve

[Huz-Z]

Absolutely stunning work, as always!

[Crimson92]

epic pics

[bosstones]

Once again, Rick delivers!

[Rick F.]

Originally Posted by wzjra

Awesome pictures as always! Wish we had routes like these in the Bay Area.

wzjra,

Thanks! As an antidote for blues caused by lack of Maryland-style routes in your neighborhood, I prescribe a trip down the Pacific Coast Highway!

Rick F.

[Rick F.]

Originally Posted by WhoU4

Rick,

Amazing... I think it's interesting that you took the time to notice the workers initials on the bridge over the Monocacy River, and then took the time to find that others (along with the cylinders) were missing. If you had some whiteout you could have placed "Incomplete" at the holes missing the cylinders. You are very good at paying attention to the details, as I know you must have to be for your job.

As for the rusty metal scaffolding at the dam, it kind of looks like the scaffolding had the stability of a traveling carnival ride... Fun!

Beautiful colors with your natural scenery shots, we pretty much lost all of our leaves last week with our wind storm. Also your final shot of the cemetery is a really fitting for Halloween, nice cool blue tone.

BTW, feeling a bit shameful hearing you had your top down at 33... I like it to be at least 38-40. Today I think was the first day I drove it exclusively with the top up when it wasn't raining and above 38.

Glad your getting some time to Relax.

Dave

Dave,

The signed "completed" writing on the bridge caught my eye. Then I noticed that only some of the joints were pinned and signed. I guess other parts of the structure keep the bridge from just pulling apart when a truck goes over it, but it really made me wonder why so many of the pins were missing.

I'm not surprised that your leaves are gone, up in Peter Egan Country. I'm hoping to go over to the Eastern Shore of Maryland tomorrow, and I'll see what's left around here.

Thanks for the feedback!

Rick

[Rick F.]

Originally Posted by zkeeper

Once again...over the TOP. I am the fellow [zkeeper] who last spring suggested you start thinking of Coffee Table books...."On The Road Again",
"Z Perspective", "Zeeing the Counties East" whatever- but you have taken me back to some roads and areas I have only visited once.

We just returned from a Louisville, Ky. BMW club chapter Fall Run...and while the roads and weather were pure Z favored, the colors were not quite there.
Greetings from downtown Beijing, where I have returned for another assignment--but THIS surely helped complete fall in the Z for me....bests, ML.

ML,

When I ever get around to retiring, I think assembling a book of my trip reports would make a fun project. I'll start keeping a list of people who have expressed interest--starting with you!

I was in Beijing back in 1988, along with a few other areas in the PRC. It was astonishing to fly over the mammoth city at night and see so few lights. When we landed, I learned that most hotels and homes use 25-watt bulbs to minimize cost. China was (and undoubtedly remains) a fascinating place.

Thanks for posting!

Rick

[Rick F.]

Originally Posted by ShakyDog

You need to make a coffee table book with all of your adventures.

I know several of us here would own it. Let us know when we can order it online :-)

Steve

Steve,

Thanks! You are hereby added to the list (along with ML above). My pending book orders have just doubled!

Rick

[Rick F.]

Originally Posted by Huz-Z

Absolutely stunning work, as always!

Huz-Z,

Merçi beaucoup, mon ami!

Rick F.

[Rick F.]

Originally Posted by Crimson92

epic pics

Crimson,

Epic appreciation!

Rick F.

[Rick F.]

Originally Posted by bosstones

Once again, Rick delivers!

Jeff,

Thanks! Good to hear from you, and I hope all is well.

Rick

[bosstones]

Originally Posted by Rick F.

Jeff,

Thanks! Good to hear from you, and I hope all is well.

Rick

Just been owned by work for the better part of the year. Brutal, but I kinda like being employed. With all your weekend treks, I'm very tempted to head out on a trek of my own the next time I'm out in MD on business. I haven't found anything worthwhile out here yet. Hope all is well with you as well!

[DaveL--2mnycars]

Wow!
Great story. Fabulous photos.
Thanks for taking us all along!


DaveL
Toronto

[Rick F.]

Originally Posted by bosstones

Just been owned by work for the better part of the year. Brutal, but I kinda like being employed. With all your weekend treks, I'm very tempted to head out on a trek of my own the next time I'm out in MD on business. I haven't found anything worthwhile out here yet. Hope all is well with you as well!

Jeff,

It sounds like you're definitely overdue for a Z4 trip, in Maryland or elsewhere. Be sure to take some pictures!

Rick

[Rick F.]

Originally Posted by 2mnycars

Wow!
Great story. Fabulous photos.
Thanks for taking us all along!


DaveL
Toronto

Dave,

My pleasure! Of course, we'd love to see some more of your terrific pictures here as well. Quebec City comes to mind!

Rick

[Rick F.]

Just in case anyone was wondering, I got a picture of one of the rotten nasty thorns that attacked me when I was investigating the hillside ruins next to Antietam Creek. It's lying on a piece of lined notepad paper. How such a little thing could be tough enough to become deeply embedded in heavy leather (not to mention my hands, arms, and legs) is beyond me!

[apexstrafer]

Incredible pictures. Fantastic post, once again.