Walkin' the Line: A Journey from Past to Present Along the Mason-Dixon

In 1763, two astronomer-mathematicians, Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon, came to the U.S. from England to mark the border dividing Maryland and Pennsylvania and settle a land dispute. Their surveying project took more than four years to complete, and helped shape the course of American history--especially in the early 19th century, when their Line came to symbolize the distinct ideologies of the slave South and the free North. Using the infamous Line as his guide, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ecenbarger travels across the region, investigating the history of race and culture in the U.S. Drawing on published sources and interviews, as well as his own observations of its architecture and geography, Ecenbarger tells the Line's often tragic story. Meanwhile, he introduces readers to the people who've lived along the dividing line, including Kay McElvey, an African-American teacher in Hurlock, Md., who traced the history of the local black community; Quaker Thomas Garrett of Wilmington, Del., a 19th-century abolitionist who wouldn't quit working on the underground railroad even after he was heavily fined for his activities; Daniel Logab, Garrett's ethical opposite, who made his living capturing runaway slaves and selling them south; and Sarah Bulah, an ordained minister, who lived on the Line and joined other blacks to fight segregated schools. (Her case became part of the 1954 Brown vs. the Board of Education case.) Part travelogue, part historical essay, this book is a well-written and dramatic examination of history, geography and race. B&w photos. (Sept.)