Maryland Department of Natural Resources

Reports

Frederick-Montgomery-Howard County boundary line resurvey of 1980


1985, Kenneth A. Schwarz

Special Publication 1


Executive Summary

In the December 1834 session of the Maryland General Assembly, Mr. William Morsell was contracted to survey the division line between Frederick and Montgomery Counties. In August 1835 he reported the results of the survey from the mouth of the Monocacy River to Parrs Spring, stating that he had planted or marked eleven individual stones, three at the beginning of the survey and eight at two-mile intervals thereafter, each inscribed in a particular fashion for proper identification.

In the 1979 session of the Maryland General Assembly, House Joint Resolution No. 27 was passed instructing the Secretary of the Department of Natural Resources to direct the Maryland Geological Survey to resurvey and remark certain segments of this boundary. In order to receive official input from all affected counties, the Director of the Survey established a Boundary Line Advisory Committee consisting of representatives of the Survey and of the Frederick, Montgomery and Howard County governments. Representatives from Delegate Constance Morella's office, the surveyor's company and Judy French of the Montgomery County Committee of the Maryland Environmental Trust, (who instigated this resurvey) were present as observers. The Director was chairman of the committee which held periodic meetings and conducted field trips to keep all interested parties informed.

In June 1980 the surveying concern of Frey, Sheehan, Stoker and Associates, Inc. of Silver Spring, Maryland, was contracted to do the field resurvey. The resurvey was performed in 1980-1981 and recovered five of the original eleven stones. Remnants of two other probable original boundary stones were recovered. Four stones were not recovered and are presumed to have been removed or buried. The surveyors submitted the final report of the horizontal control data in early 1982.

Six additional boundary markers planted before or after the subject 1835 survey were encountered and investigated. All are believed to have been locally recognized as county boundary markers. One of these six markers (HM Stone) is herein considered as the stone marking the headwaters of the Patuxent River and therefore identifies a point on the Howard-Montgomery County line.