The triangular jog between Tennessee and Kentucky

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — When looking at a map of the Tennessee and Kentucky border, you may think you are seeing a mistake with a triangular notch in the northern state line. No, your eyes are not playing tricks on you: this is called the triangular jog.

The triangular jog is a spot at the Kentucky and Tennessee state line that pushes the Kentucky border three miles south compared to where the line was originally placed.

There are many stories about why this happened.

Nicky Hughes, the Innkeeper at the Sandford Duncan Inn, believes this could have been because of the surveyor’s dependence on the stars but the skies were too cloudy. The iron ore in the ground could have altered the directions on the compass or they could’ve been bribed by Sandford Duncan with a few barrels of whiskey.

The reason why will remain a mystery, but different people believe different stories.

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Dr. James Henry Snider, President and CEO of the Simpson County Historical Society, said the most beloved story was that Sandford Duncan left whiskey barrels at a specific beech tree and told the surveyors, “if the land up to this point stays in Kentucky, you can keep the whisky”.

One of the most interesting truths that can be proven is the Linkumpinch dueling grounds. Linkumpinch was known as a place in the “notch” men could go for a duel but not get in trouble because nobody knew which law enforcement ruled over the land.

“Where they did the dueling was right on the state line so you could bang away at each other and step across the line.” explained Nicky Hughes.

The most famous duelist would have been Sam Houston, who was the sixth governor of Tennessee and the namesake of Houston, Texas. He was said to have molded the bullets for his duel at the Sandford Duncan Inn and practice with them “behind the barn,” which would have been behind the Inn.

No matter which story you care to believe, the rich history runs deep, and the Sandford Duncan Inn still stands to tell the tale, along with a sign that explains what the triangular jog is at the state line in Simpson County.

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