The Carolinas Work to Clarify Their Borders - NYTimes.com
►http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/05/us/the-carolinas-work-to-clarify-their-borders.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edi
Untangling a Border Could Leave a Mess for Some
Travis Dove for The New York Times
A restored North Carolina-South Carolina border could mean that some of Judy Helms’s four-acre property in Clover, S.C., is in North Carolina. Her dog’s house, however, would remain in South Carolina.
By KIM SEVERSON Published: April 4, 2012
CLOVER, S.C. — Errors can compound over time.
Travis Dove for The New York Times
A historical project is nearing the end of its mission to restore the North Carolina-South Carolina border to its original form.
A couple of hundred years ago, intrepid surveyors carved out a line between North Carolina and South Carolina and marked their work with notches on trees and, later, the occasional rock. The federal government eventually approved the boundary and life went on.
But trees fell. The rare stone marker was lost. Land was bought and sold and guesses were made. Bit by bit, the border shifted a little bit north.
In an ambitious project, the states of North Carolina and South Carolina are trying to set the record straight. After years of historical research and old-fashioned survey work mixed with global positioning technology, they are moving the boundary back to where it belongs.
In some places, the boundary will not change at all. In others, the shift does not matter much. What’s a couple of hundred feet in the middle of the forest?