Maryland Daily Photo

What we see here is one of the remaining markers from the survey of the trans-peninsular line that cuts across the Delmarva peninsula and defines the southern border of Delaware.   I will take the time now to once again butcher and abridge some history for you.  

The charter given to the Penns for the three counties of Delaware effectively carved them out of what was then considered to be Maryland.   This caused some confusion as to where the boundaries should be and it then began a longstanding legal battle after it was drawn over where the line should have been drawn. 

(Some of the highlights of the arguments between the Calvert’s and Penns included not only Delaware’s boundaries, but also the location of the southern border of Pennsylvania.  George Calvert’s original charter for Maryland included land up to the 40th parallel, which would encompass what is today Philadelphia.)   

On the Delmarva peninsula, it was decided that the Eastern-Western boundary between Delaware and Maryland would be that which split the peninsula in half, but the Northern-Southern boundary caused significantly more confusion.  

The Calvert’s suggested drawing the line beginning at a place that is phonetically called Cape Henlopen. 

The problem is that there are two capes on the map of Delaware at the time, which both could sound similar.   There are different spellings on some maps.  Other maps exclude some of the capes altogether.   You have to keep in mind that the Lords Baltimore never had the use of google maps or mapquest, or of the wonderful ADC maps we all keep in the car.    

  To give an example of the problem: on some maps, one of the capes was spelled Cape Inlopen.  However, when you say this phonetically as if you were a Dutch settler at the time, then you might be pronouncing what we today would call an H sound. 

Where are these two Cape Henlopens?   Well one is where modern day Fenwick Island is.   (at the modern border)  The other, which has retained the name Cape Henlopen, is at the northernmost piece of oceanfront land in Delaware, literally at the opening of the Delaware bay.   So by now, you can tell which cape was used to draw the line and you can also tell which cape the Calverts had intended to use.   

Now there’s another wrinkle.  The map that was used to draw the line, was a map offered by the Maryland side.   This map apparently had Cape Henlopen in the position of modern Fenwick Island.  This made it very difficult for the Calverts to later battle with the Penns in court in hopes of having the line redrawn. 

So here is one of the markers, which were placed every 5 miles along the border.  They were apparently cast in England.   

Tomorrow’s post might not have any writing to go with it.   Just a warning.