The History Channel series “How the States got their Shapes” is a little like those U.S. map puzzles we played with as kids—writ larger and with humor. The host, onetime “Daily Show” correspondent Brian Unger, is the geek with attitude as he traces the stories behind how the states assumed their configurations. One trivia point to remember: water. According to Unger, every state but four is bordered on at least one side by an ocean, lake or river. I\'ll leave it to my readers to fact check this assertion, but it rings true.
Unger visits some interesting spots, none funnier than Copper Hill, a real-life Mayberry RFD of 2,000 folks straddling the boundary of Tennessee and Georgia. The state line cuts through the corner tap; fortunately for the Tennesseans, the bar is on their side of the line while the restrooms fall into a dry county of Georgia. The potential problem with this arrangement is that by act of Congress, the border between the two states was defined as the 35th parallel, but the 18th century surveyors who drew the line (Messrs. Mason and Dixon?) were off by about a mile. Strictly speaking, all of Copper Hill should be in Georgia, along with lakes and rivers that a thirsty Atlanta would like to drain. Tennessee, however, refuses to withdraw, and Congress, as we know, is deadlocked over such issues of national importance as the color for the new tile in the Capitol Hill washrooms. I guess the residents of Copper Hill will be able to drink legally for years to come.
“How the States got their Shapes: Season One” is out on DVD.
