United States Historical Maps

Resources in this category:

American Memory: Library of Congress Map Collections, 1544-1996
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/gmdhtml/gmdhome.html

"The Geography and Map Division of the Library of Congress holds more than 4.5 million items, of which Map Collections represents only a small fraction, those that have been converted to digital form. The focus of Map Collections is Americana and Cartographic Treasures of the Library of Congress. These images were created from maps and atlases and, in general, are restricted to items that are not covered by copyright protection. Map Collections is organized according to seven major catagories.." These catagories include Cities and Towns, Conservation and Envrionment, Discovery and Exploration, Immigration and Settlement, Military Battles and Campaigns, Transportation and Communication, and General Maps. There is also a link to the Geography and Map Division of the Library of Congress.

Archiving Early America
http://www.earlyamerica.com/

Archiving Early America is a source of historical materials from 18th Century America. Collections include original newspapers, maps and writings of the time.

Civil War Maps
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/gmdhtml/cwmhtml/cwmhome.html

"The Civil War Map collection of the Geography and Map Division consists of reconnaissance, sketch, coastal, and theater-of-war maps which depict troop activities and fortifications during the Civil War. Part of this selection contains maps by Major Jedediah Hotchkiss, a topographical engineer in the Confederate Army. Hotchkiss made detailed battle maps that were used by Generals Lee and Jackson. This selection also includes maps that depict General Sherman's military campaigns in Tennessee, Mississippi, Georgia, and the Carolinas. Most of the items presented here are documented in Civil War Maps: An Annotated List of Maps and Atlases in the Library of Congress compiled by Richard W. Stephenson in 1989."

Conservation and Environmental Maps
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/gmdhtml/cnsvhome.html

"The historic and more recent maps contained in this category show early exploration and subsequent land use in various areas of the United States. These maps show the changes in the landscape, including natural and man-made features, recreational and wilderness areas, geology, topography, wetland area, vegetation, and wildlife. Specific conservation projects such as the growth and development of U.S. National Parks are included in this category."

French Colonization of Louisiana and Louisiana Purchase Map Collection
http://louisdl.louislibraries.org/LMP/Pages/home.html

This collection consists of historically important original maps associated with the French colonization of the territory of Louisiana, and the Louisiana Purchase. Maps included were created by Nicholas de Fer, Guillaume de L'Isle (1675-1726), Jacques Nicholas Bellin (1703-1772), Le Page du Pratz (d. 1775), Jean Baptiste Bourguignon d'Anville (1697-1782), Jan Jansson (1588-1664), Jean Baptiste Nolin (1686-1762), Guillaume Danet, William Faden (1750?-1836), Abraham Ortelius (1527-1598), and others. They are contained within LSU Libraries' Special Collections. Historically, these selected maps document the leading role of the French in deriving the first accurate maps of the New World."

Historical Maps of the United States
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/histus.html

Here you can find historical maps of the United States concerning Native American tribes, exploration, settlement, and territorial growth dating back to the 16th Century.

The History of the Cherokee
http://cherokeehistory.com/index.html

Here you can find historical information, images, maps, and genealogy relating to the Cherokee Nation. It also has a comprehensive list of books, newspapers, and Internet links concerning Cherokee History.

Panoramic Maps: 1847-1929
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/pmhtml/panhome.html

"The panoramic map was a popular cartographic form used to depict U.S. and Canadian cities and towns during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Known also as bird's-eye views, perspective maps, and aero views, panoramic maps are nonphotographic representations of cities portrayed as if viewed from above at an oblique angle. Although not generally drawn to scale, they show street patterns, individual buildings, and major landscape features in perspective." You can search the collection by keyword, or browse by geographic location, subject, or creator.

Social Explorer
http://www.socialexplorer.com/pub/maps/home.aspx

Interactive maps and data reports of demographic information in the United States from 1790 to the present. Compiled by experts.