History hike on tap near Mt. Morris
CORE, W.Va. – Do you want the opportunity to walk in the footsteps of history?
The annual Mason and Dixon Line Hike will be held Sunday at Mason-Dixon Historical Park, 79 Buckeye Road, near Core, W.Va., about three miles southwest of Mt. Morris. This area is about a half-hour northwest of Morgantown, W.Va., and a little more than an hour south-southwest of Pittsburgh.
Participants will meet at 10:30 a.m. at the Red Barn annex for a short presentation followed by the hike of a little more than a mile. The trail along Dunkard Creek primarily is level and easy to navigate. More serious hikers may choose an unguided hike to the top of lofty Brown’s Hill to the Mason-Dixon Line marker, set during an 1883 resurvey, and other parts of the 295-acre public park.
Mason and Dixon, along with their survey team and Native American companions, were in the area of the current park from Oct. 9 to Oct. 20, 1767. This year marks the first of a four-year 250th celebration of Mason and Dixon’s survey – the two men landed in Philadelphia in November 1763 and surveyed The Line through 1767. They stopped at Brown’s Hill, about 21.9 miles short of their goal of the current-day southwest corner of Pennsylvania.
Pete Zapadka, a Mason-Dixon researcher and founder of the website exploretheline.com, will be joined by Morgantown re-enactor and historian Ed Robey in providing a historical overview before the leisurely hike.
Bad weather may force the cancellation of the hike, but an extended program, featuring a question-and-answer session, will be held if there is demand.
To learn more, call 304-680-7353 or visit exploretheline.com. Pete Zapadka also can be reached at 412-657-5638.