Finding the Tripoint

Coming home from the stars and landing firmly on the Earth: In the woods on a lofty ridgetop, near the peak where Appalachian waters are made to choose whether to tumble east or west, a geographic point etched in history lies at the base of a 20th century stone. Maybe you've seen it pictured recently in an image posted to Facebook and other social media platforms. The photo itself is accurate; the location described in accompanying texts is not. Image from Facebook that shows the location of the Tripoint. Text accompanying the photo on social media is wildly incorrect. In truth, this is the point where Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia meet. It is the intersection of the historic Mason-Dixon Line (Pennsylvania's southern border for the most part) and the Deakins Line (the West Virginia-Maryland border after 1912). This stone sits outside of Markleysburg, Pa., in Fayette County, Pa. It is not , as some have written, uh . . . in "Northeastern Central Pennsylvania....