THE PHYSICAL FEATURES OF CECIL COUNTY 



INTRODUCTION. 



Cecil county, the northeastern county of Maryland, is located be- 

 tween the parallels 39° 22£' and 39° 43' 26" north latitude and the 

 meridians 75° 46' and 76° 14' west longitude. The territory within 

 these limits includes both land and water areas, the former embracing 

 about 375 square miles, or nearly a quarter of a million acres. The 

 county is bounded on the north by the Mason and Dixon Line, which 

 separates it from Lancaster and Chester counties, Pennsylvania; on 

 the east by a line, relocated by Mason and Dixon, which runs between 

 it and Newcastle county, Delaware. This eastern boundary line is 

 composed of three parts. The southern portion is the northern end 

 of the line running from the " middle point " of the peninsula of the 

 Eastern Shore of Maryland and Delaware tangent to a circle of twelve 

 miles radius whose center is at Newcastle, Delaware. This portion of 

 the boundary extends from the Sassafras river to the " tangent point " 

 which lies just east of the race-course at Iron Hill. The second and 

 central division of the eastern boundary is a segment of the " twelve- 

 mile circle " lying between the "tangent point " and the " point of 

 intersection " where a due north line from the " tangent point " cuts 

 the northeasterly trending segment of the circle. The point where 

 these two line intersect is marked by a stone standing a short distance 

 south of the tracks of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. The third 

 and northern portion of the eastern boundary is that part of the 

 above mentioned north line which extends from the " point of inter- 

 section " to the northeastern corner of the county and state. The 

 county is bounded on the south by the channel of the Sassafras river, 

 and on the west by the channels of Chesapeake Bay and of the Sus- 



