Historic Mason-Dixon Line Map Poised for Auction, Could Fetch Over $1 Million

A pivotal map of the Mason-Dixon Line, instrumental in defining the boundaries between free and slave states in the United States, is set to be auctioned on Thursday. Auctioneers at Brunk Auctions in Asheville, North Carolina, estimate the hand-drawn document could sell for between $800,000 and $1.2 million.

The map, originally created by Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon between 1763 and 1767, was intended to resolve a border dispute between the colonies of Maryland and Pennsylvania. However, its historical significance evolved dramatically.

In the 1820 Missouri Compromise, the line established by the survey became a critical demarcation for the legality of human bondage in the young nation, foreshadowing the divisions that would eventually lead to the Civil War. "The Mason-Dixon Line that most Americans know is this dividing line between the northern free states and the southern slaveholding states," said Lauren Brunk, vice president of Brunk Auctions. "But the line was not drawn for that reason."

The term "Dixie," often associated with the Southern United States, is popularly, though not definitively, believed to originate from Dixon's name.

This particular map, backed with Japanese rice paper, has a notable provenance. Following its creation, it was given to the family of Benjamin Chew, an attorney representing the descendants of William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania. The map remained in the family's possession until 1982, when it was purchased by publisher Malcolm S. Forbes for $360,000, a sum that was then a record for an American map at auction. The map has changed hands at least once more since then, with a section of the Delaware-Maryland border residing at Princeton University.

Brunk Auctions reached out to the Library of Congress, which had previously shown interest, to inform them of the map's upcoming sale. While budget constraints prevent the institution from bidding, Brunk noted that they would welcome its acquisition by a benefactor on their behalf.