Maceo-Dickinson line

The expression Maceo-Dickinson line was used in Texas in the early/mid 20th century referring to the Galveston County line where it met Harris County.

The expression was a pun which made reference to the Mason-Dixon line. From the 1920s to the 1950s the Maceo crime syndicate controlled Galveston, Texas and established a gambling empire there that ran through much of the county, including casinos in Dickinson, Texas. The county had a notoriously lax law enforcement environment which represented a sharp contrast with neighboring counties, particularly in the later years.

Bibliography

• Boatman, Tabitha Nicole (2014). Island Empire: The Influence of the Maceo Family in Galveston (PDF). University of North Texas.

See also

• Free State of Galveston, which discusses this era in Galveston's history.
• Sam Maceo and Rosario Maceo, the brothers that ran the gambling empire.