Preemption Line, Historical boundary marker in central New York, United States.
The Preemption Line is a historical boundary in central New York that runs north to south from the Pennsylvania border to Lake Ontario. It marked the division between land where Massachusetts held negotiation rights and land under direct New York control.
The Treaty of Hartford in 1786 established the Preemption Line to settle competing land claims between New York and Massachusetts after the Revolutionary War. Two surveys, carried out in 1788 and 1792, produced slightly different versions of the line, and both still influence property and county boundaries today.
The Preemption Line divided the right to sell land from the right to govern it, a split that rarely happened in early American history. This separation between property rights and political authority can still be traced today in how county borders and land parcels align along the route.
The Preemption Line is not a marked trail, so a historical map or a local guide is the most reliable way to follow its route across several counties. Some county historical societies in the region can point visitors toward specific markers or reference points along the way.
The word preemption in the name refers to a legal right of first purchase, meaning Massachusetts could negotiate land deals with Native peoples before anyone else, but did not own the land outright. The line was therefore a boundary for negotiating rights, not a standard property border.
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