AH Challenge: Pennsylvania with what is now Eastern Ohio

Browsing the Erie Triangle thread, I was struck by an admittedly unlikely idea, one which I'm glad didn't happen;).

With a POD after 1781, barring a collapse of the US, have what is now the Eastern part of Ohio, preferably from about Cleveland eastwards, although I leave the ultimate boundary up to you.

IIRC, PA had little to no claims on land east of the current PA-OH border, so I believe that would have to change.
 
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Are you reffering to my idea?:p

Well Its not too unlikely. Just have America split apart the Pennsylvannia swoops in and takes the Western Reserve
 
I've read on wiki PA had claims up TO Cleveland in its western claims, but for once, I've never ever been able to find a source. But if it did, it could simply refuse to release the claim (which, as it extends only to Cleveland, would be easier to keep than most other states' western claims).
 

Vitruvius

Donor
Post 1781 its very hard because Pennsylvania settled its western border in 1779 when it negotiated a compromise with Virginia that set the border as meridian running north from an extension of the east-west Maryland border 5 degrees west of the Delaware River.

Previous to that Pennsylvania's western border was theoretically a squiggly line that represented a transposition of the course of the Delaware River projected 5 degrees west. Everything west of that was mutually agreed to be Virginia, or perhaps CT land.

So PA would have to invent a claim to western land only a few years after it, in good faith, signed a treaty recognizing that it never had such a claim to begin with. And then such a new claim would be in competition with as many as three other states' much more legitimate claims. The easiest way is to move the POD back and have VA and PA agree to a more westerly line for their new border. Otherwise I doubt Pennsylvania has the power and influence with the other states to move its border further westward once its agreed to.
 
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