Lawrence Line facts for kids

<mapframe text="The dividing lines between the original provinces of West and East New Jersey. The Lawrence Line is shown in black" width=250 height=350> { "type": "ExternalData", "service": "page", "title": "West and East Jersey Dividing Lines.map" } </mapframe> The Lawrence Line was an important imaginary line drawn across New Jersey a long, long time ago. It helped divide the land into two main parts: West New Jersey and East New Jersey. This line was created by a surveyor named John Lawrence in 1743. It was meant to solve arguments about where the exact border between these two areas should be.

The Lawrence Line: Dividing New Jersey

The Lawrence Line was a special boundary that helped separate the early parts of what we now call New Jersey. Back in the 1700s, New Jersey was split into two "colonies" or territories. These were called West Jersey and East Jersey. Think of them like two different neighborhoods in a very big state.

What Was the Lawrence Line?

A "surveyor" is someone who measures and maps land. In 1743, a skilled surveyor named John Lawrence was asked to draw this important line. His job was to create a clear border. This border would finally settle disagreements about land ownership. The line stretched from the Delaware River all the way to Little Egg Harbor on the coast.

Why Was It Needed?

Before the Lawrence Line, people had tried to draw this border many times. An earlier agreement, called the Quintipartite Deed from 1676, first described how New Jersey should be divided. It said the line should go from the northern part of the Delaware River to the southern tip of Little Egg Harbor.

However, earlier attempts to draw this line were not very good. Surveys like the Keith Line (1686), the Coxe–Barclay Line (1688), and the Thornton Line (1696) were often drawn too far west. This caused many arguments and confusion over who owned which land. John Lawrence was given the job in 1743 to finally fix these long-standing problems.

How It Affects Us Today

Even though the Lawrence Line was drawn hundreds of years ago, it still has an impact today. In 1855, the New Jersey Supreme Court decided that the Lawrence Line would be the official boundary. This meant it was used to settle all land ownership disputes in a famous court case.

You can still see the legacy of the Lawrence Line in the borders of several towns in New Jersey. For example, parts of Walpack Township, Sandyston Township, Stillwater Township, Hampton Township, and Green Township in Sussex County follow this old line.

Finding the Line with GPS

In 1995, a group of modern surveyors decided to find the exact path of the Lawrence Line again. They used GPS technology, which uses satellites to pinpoint locations. This helped them plot the true coordinates of this historic boundary.