Q: In a recent article — “Border redraw moves 19 homes in the Carolinas” — it refers to the original lines drawn that was decreed by “boundary lines established under an English king in the 18th century.” Who was that king and what was the rationale?
—Mary Kay Kreisle, Atlanta
A: The original boundary between South Carolina and North Carolina was determined in 1735, when the American colonies were under British rule.
George II, the king of England at that time, tasked surveyors to use the 35th parallel to mark part of the border between the colonies.
The surveying party stopped 12 miles short of the parallel and later surveyors worked from that point, instead of the correct spot, cutting 422,000 acres from South Carolina, The New York Times reported in 2014.
The two states have been working for 20 years to resolve the boundary issue in counties near Charlotte, N.C.
They redrew the border with modern technology and the North Carolina Senate last month approved a plan to correct the boundary. North Carolina’s House, South Carolina’s legislature and both governors also need to approve it, the Charlotte Observer reported.
If the boundary is moved, 16 homes and a convenience store would switch from South Carolina to North Carolina and three homes would go from North Carolina to South Carolina, The Associated Press reported.
Andy Johnston with Fast Copy News Service wrote this column. Do you have a question? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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