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430 THE COUNTIES OF MARYLAND
and Allegany counties, first stated in the Constitution of 1850, is denned
by the Acts of Assembly of 1873 as a straight line beginning at the sum-
mit of Big Backbone or Savage Mountain, where that mountain is
crossed by the Mason and Dixon line, to the middle of Savage River
where it empties into the Fotomae. Various attempts have been made
to run the line which should fit these conditions. The County Surveyor
of Allegany County began such a line at the mouth of Savage River but
intersected the Mason and Dixon line on Little Savage Mountain more
than three-quarters of a mile west of where the law indicates. This is
known as the Chisholm line. Somewhat later in 1878 the County Sur-
veyor of Garrett County began a, line at, the northern terminus., or the
intersection of the crest of Big Savage Mountain and the Mason and
Dixon line, and ran southward toward the mouth of Savage River. It
came out in the vicinity of Westernport, something less than a mile east
of the desired point. In 1898 a line was marked which was not only a
straight line but connected the two points specified in the original law
erecting Garrett County. Because of certain technicalities this line was
repudiated by the Allegany County Court and an attempt was made in
the Legislature of 1900 to validate this line if the voters of Garrett
County saw fit to do so. Since this Act did not specify the place of vot-
ing for such as might be transferred from Allegany to Garrett County
it has recently been held that the line run in 1898 in accordance with
the original Act is still invalid.
The northern boundary of Allegany County is formed by a portion of
the famous Mason and Dixon line which was run prior to the American
Revolution to settle the dispute between the proprietaries of Pennsyl-
vania and Maryland. The original line was marked by stone monuments
east of Allegany County, but from Sideling Hill on, the difficulties of
transporting the stones which had been brought from England became
too great. Within the last few years this historic line has been resur-
veyed and stone monuments have been placed to mark its position.
The southern boundary of Allegany County, which is at the same time
the boundary between Maryland and West Virginia, follows the right
bank of the Potomar River, whose waters are a part of Allegany County.
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