The "real" Mason-Dixon line is just the border between
Maryland and Pennsylvania. In the 1700's, it was surveyed
out from Delware to the mountains by two surveyors named,
you guessed it, Mason and Dixon!
It became symbolic as the border between the northern
colonies (states) and southern colonies....it became
the "nickname" for the "border between north and south"
as we expanded westward.
If you actually extended the true MDL, half of Ohio, IN and
IL would be "in the south".
KAO was founded by "confederates" after the civil war, and
like many southern fraternities, only opened chapters in states
considered to be "confederate". Its arguable whether or
not KY and MO were "rebel", but the KAO considered them
so. They also accepted "new" states which were territories
claimed by the confederates: OK, AZ, NM, KS, etc.
(I think the confederates intended the KS/NB border
to be the "MDL" in the west)
But sometime in the 1900's, they decided to remove that
restriction and to charter chapters in northern states, though
they haven't been as effective as Pikes and others who
followed the same pattern....prolly because they hold
on to the "confederate" theme more than the others.
The KA house at Gtown used to have (maybe still do) a
big sign on the front that said "Home of All Fine Southern
Gentlemen"....which was funny, since most of their members
in the late '80s were football players from Ohio!
KAO is "famous" for its "Old South Week"...they dress up
in confed. uniforms and have a "ball" with the ladies dressed
in hoop skirts. In the 70's and early 80's, the LX's at Gtown
always held a fake "Old North Week" during the same week
just to make 'em mad
