Established in 1833 as the principal meridian for public land surveys in northern Mississippi, the Chickasaw Meridian has one of the most neglected Initial Points in the lower 48 states. The initial point is thought by some to be situated on an east-west line surveyed in 1819, lying 2.5 miles north of the Tennessee-Mississippi state line, known as the Winchester Line. However, no monument or marker has ever been found at the location fitting this description. It is also possible that the initial point was established on the Tennessee-Mississippi state line at 34°59’N latitude, 89°15’W longitude, but the southern border of Tennessee was not drawn until 1837, which was 4 years after the Chickasaw Meridian was established. Regardless of where the initial point actually lies, most modern cadastral maps project the Chickasaw Meridian as running south from the Tennessee-Mississippi state line to 33°48’45”N latitude. Ranges are run south of the Mississippi-Tennessee state border, and townships are run both east and west of the Chickasaw Meridian.
