The Aporia · 'Dixie' map that divided US goes up for auction after Library of Congress was forced to turn it down

A hand-drawn map of the Mason-Dixon Line, which divided free and slave states in the United States, is set for auction on Thursday. The map, measuring 76 inches by 6.5 inches, could sell for between $800,000 and $1.2 million according to Brunk Auctions. Originally drawn to resolve a border dispute between Maryland and Pennsylvania, it later became symbolic of the division that led to the Civil War. The Library of Congress previously declined to purchase the map in 1982 due to budget constraints; auction house representatives have now offered the opportunity again but with no current interest from the Library.

Written by AI on 2026-10-30, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

Story summary

A hand-drawn chart of the Mason-Dixon Line, a boundary dividing free and slave states that later influenced the 1820 Missouri Compromise, is going up for auction on Thursday. The document, which measures 76 inches in length and 6.5 inches in height, is expected to sell between $800,000 and $1.2 million at Brunk Auctions in Asheville, North Carolina. Lauren Brunk, vice president of Brunk Auctions, says the map's historical significance makes it a rare find. The chart was originally drawn by Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon between 1767 and 1768 to settle a border dispute between Maryland and Pennsylvania but became symbolic of the divide leading up to the American Civil War. It was previously owned by the family of attorney Benjamin Chew, who represented descendants of William Penn, until it was purchased in 1982 for $360,000 by Malcolm S. Forbes, outbidding the Library of Congress.

Written for “Mason-Dixon Line Map Auction” on 2026-11-04, grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.

📰 Mason-Dixon Line Map Auction

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Its place in history was secured later, when the 1820 Missouri Compromise used the line to establish the limits of human bondage in the still adolescent United States.

framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-30

🔮 The sale of the document, which has been remounted on backing made of Japanese rice paper, will be livestreamed.

2026-10-30 · The Independent

'Dixie' map that divided US goes up for auction after Library of Congress was forced to turn it down · assertive framing

A hand-drawn chart of the Mason-Dixon Line, the boundary that came to divide the free states from the slave states, goes under the hammer on Thursday. asserted

that → draw → Thursday

The sale of the document, which has been remounted on backing made of Japanese rice paper, will be livestreamed. asserted

which → remount → paper

Lauren Brunk, vice president of Brunk Auctions in Asheville, North Carolina, expects it to fetch anywhere between $800,000 and $1.2 million. asserted

it → expect → 800,000

“It’s not that often that you can really get this close to something that is so historically important," said Brunk. asserted

Brunk → ’ → something

“And it was awe-inspiring, really.” asserted

it → inspire → ?

The map is a strip of linen-backed paper measuring 76 inches (193 centimeters) long and 6.5 inches (16.5 centimeters) tall. asserted

map → back → paper

Soon after it was drawn, it was given to the family of attorney Benjamin Chew, who represented the descendants of Pennsylvania founder William Penn. asserted

who → draw → Penn

The Chew family kept the map until 1982, when the late publisher Malcolm S. Forbes bought it for $360,000, outbidding the Library of Congress, Brunk said. asserted

Brunk → keep → Congress

At the time, it was said to have been the highest price ever paid at auction for an American map. asserted

it → say → map

The map changed hands again in 2002. asserted

map → change → 2002

A vertical section showing the Delaware-Maryland border is housed at Princeton University. asserted

section → show → University

The survey behind the document was carried out by Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon. asserted

survey → carry → Mason

Their work was originally meant to settle a border dispute between the then-colonies of Maryland and Pennsylvania. asserted

work → mean → Maryland

Its place in history was secured later, when the 1820 Missouri Compromise used the line to establish the limits of human bondage in the still adolescent United States. asserted

Compromise → secure → States

From there, it became synonymous with the fundamental divisions that exploded into civil war four decades later. asserted

that → become → war

“The Mason-Dixon Line that most Americans know is this dividing line between the northern free states and the southern slaveholding states,” Brunk said. asserted

Brunk → know → states

“But the line was not drawn for that reason.” asserted

line → draw → reason

A popular theory holds that the term "Dixie" derives from Jeremiah Dixon, though the true origin is disputed. asserted

origin → hold → Dixon

Brunk said she reached out to officials at the Library of Congress to see if they wanted to bid on it again. asserted

they → say → it

“I wanted them to be aware that this was coming back to the market,” she said. asserted

she → want → market

“And they said, at this point, budgets being what they are, they were just not in a position to buy it.” asserted

they → say → it

But if some patriot out there wants to purchase it on the library's behalf, Brunk said, “they’d be happy to have it.” asserted

they → want → it

'Dixie' map that divided US goes up for auction after Library of Congress was forced to turn it down

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