The History of the Dividing Line

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Marker noting the passing of William Byrd II and company surveying the Dividing Line, 1728, Henry County, Virginia William Byrd's Camp November 1728 Historic Marker Henry County Virginia.JPG
Marker noting the passing of William Byrd II and company surveying the Dividing Line, 1728, Henry County, Virginia

The History of the Dividing Line Betwixt Virginia and North Carolina is an account by William Byrd II of the surveying of the border between the Colony of Virginia and the Province of North Carolina in 1728. Byrd's account of the journey to survey the contentious border with his chief surveyor William Mayo included such nuggets as the derivation of the name of "Matrimony Creek," so named because of its 'brawling' waters.

William Byrd II American planter

William Byrd II was an American planter and author from Charles City County in colonial Virginia. He is considered the founder of Richmond, Virginia.

Colony of Virginia English/British possession in North America (1607-1776)

The Colony of Virginia, chartered in 1606 and settled in 1607, was the first enduring English colony in North America, following failed proprietary attempts at settlement on Newfoundland by Sir Humphrey Gilbert in 1583, and the subsequent further south Roanoke Island by Sir Walter Raleigh in the late 1580s.

Each of the two colonies provided surveyors and technicians to the team. William Byrd was the chief representative from Virginia, and Edward Moseley was the chief representative from North Carolina. Byrd also compiled what he called a Secret History of the project.

Edward Moseley, was the Surveyor General of the Province of North Carolina before 1710 and 1723 to 1733. He was also the first colonial Treasurer of North Carolina, starting in 1715. He was responsible, with William Byrd II of Virginia Colony, for surveying the boundary between North Carolina and Virginia in 1728.

William Byrd II's text was the focus of David Gatten's film project, also titled The Secret History of the Dividing Line.

David Gatten American film director

David Edward Gatten is an American experimental filmmaker and moving image artist. Since 1996 Gatten's films have explored the intersection of the printed word and moving image, cataloging the variety of ways in which texts functions in cinema as both language and image, often blurring the boundary between these categories. His 16mm films often employee cameraless techniques, combined with close-up cinematography and optical printing processes. In addition to the ongoing 16mm films, Gatten is now making hybrid 16mm/digital works and has completed an entirely digital feature-length project called The Extravagant Shadows.

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