A wide variety of historical maps may be found in general and specialty libraries, government
agencies, nonprofit organizations, and private sources. Below are some select internet resources
to aid in researching early maps of both Wisconsin and the nation; a web search using terms
such as "historical maps", "old maps", or "genealogical maps" will yield thousands more.
Many of these sites also have maps online for viewing and download.
National/International resources
Federal Agencies
- Library of Congress
- National Archives and Records Administration
- United States Geological Survey
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Research and Education Institutions
- History of Cartography Project (UW)
- American Geographical Society Collection
- Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection
- Yale Map Collection
- The Newberry Library Maps and History of Cartography Collections
- Map History/History of Cartography(UK)
- David Rumsey Historical Map Collection
- USGenWeb's United States Digital Map Library
- Commercial Sources
Wisconsin Resources These are resources with a specific focus on mapping in the State of Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Historical Society's Map and Atlas Collection
This collection comprises approximately 30,000 maps and atlases, focused on Wisconsin, the Midwest, the United States and Canada. The collection includes 17th and 18th century French and British maps of North America, Wisconsin plat maps and atlases, Sanborn Fire Insurance Company maps for Wisconsin, Wisconsin Bird’s Eye Views, and United States General Land Office survey plats and surveyors’ notes. Wisconsin topographical maps, military maps, and a wide variety of state, city, county, highway and railroad maps of the United States and Canada round out the collection. About 80 percent of the collection pre-dates 1900.
A small portion of the atlases are searchable through MADCAT, the UW-Madison online library search system. Otherwise, card catalogs and guides to the collections can be found in the Archives Research Room located in Madison. A descriptive summary of selected map collections and some sample images may be accessed here.
Local historical societies may also offer rich material for historical research; the Wisconsin Historical Society maintains a listing of the more than 300 in existence across the state.
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Arthur H. Robinson Map Library
The Robinson Map Library maintains a large collection of maps and aerial photographs - currently over 500,000 items. The maps encompass general and political maps, select thematic maps (e.g. soils), and topographic map series covering many parts of the world. The maps vary in scale and age; more detailed maps are available for Wisconsin, such as the 1:24,000 topographic map series and Department of Transportation maps of Wisconsin cities.
Of particular interest for historical research is a collection of aerial photographs covering the State of Wisconsin dated from the 1930s through the early 1990s. Current photography may be purchased from a wide variety of other sources, although the library does attempt to maintain the latest coverage of Dane County. All aerial photography is indexed on photo mosaics in the library.
The library also maintains a small number of reference books, gazeteers, and multimedia products such as videocassettes, globes and plastic relief models.
No online access to materials is available. The library, located in Science Hall on the UW-Madison campus, is not open every day; check the web site for hours and directions.
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Wisconsin Board of Commissioners of Public Lands - Land Records Program
The BCPL maintains a repository that includes original land patents and certificates, original field surveyors’ notebooks compiled by contract surveyors between 1832 and 1865, and the original plat maps drawn from the surveyors’ notes. There is also a collection of 73 CDs (one per county plus the Apostle Islands) containing scanned images of the plat maps with viewer software. The original field notes are in the process of being converted to digital form as well.
Requests for CDs or other land information in the repository should be directed to Rob Nurre, BCPL Land Records Manager, at 608-261-8841. The plat map CDs are available for $50 per county; handling and research fees may apply when requesting other resources. There is also an onsite visitor research station at the BCPL office in Madison. For directions and hours call the general information number(608-266-1370).
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The Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the oldest U.S. federal cultural institution, and serves as the research arm of Congress. It is also the largest library in the world, and contains a wealth of historical cartographic information. Following are several portals into this data.
The Geography and Map Division (G&M) of the Library of Congress has the largest cartographic collection in the world, with over 4.5 million maps and thousands of supporting reference material. Their web site offers guides to mapping and their collections as well as online reference services.
American Memory is a gateway to digital historical resources found in the Library of Congress. Through their Collection Finder many map and map-related collections may be searched and viewed; clicking on the Geography topic will bring up a list of these collections for keyword search. Collections date back to the 1500s and include many Wisconsin city and state maps (a search on 'wisconsin' yields over 500 entries). While extensive, the digital collection is only a small portion of the total G&M cartographic collection.
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National Archives and Records Administration
United States Geological Society
The USGS Map Archive in Reston, VA contains a early complete collection of USGS topographic maps dating to 1882 and may be accessed during normal business hours. Reference assistance is also available through contacts on their web page.
Out-of-print maps are also maintained on microfilm and may be purchased as high-quality black-and-white photographic paper reproductions. Order forms for out-of-print materials may be found here. Help in finding specific map products may be found on the Earth Science Information Center web page.
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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The Office of Coastal Survey in NOAA maintains a digital Historical Map and Chart Collection of over 14,000 maps and charts dating back to the 1700s. High resolution scans can be viewed and downloaded through an image catalog. Many maps of Wisconsin's Great Lakes coastlines dating back to 1900 are available.
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History of Cartography Project (UW)
This project brings together scholars and research from many disciplines to examine the nature of maps and mapping, and the influence maps have had in fields outside of historical cartography. The project is integrating new and existing research in a multi-volume History of Cartography book series organized by time period and region. The series is edited by David Woodward, Emeritus Professor of Geography at UW-Madison, and published by the University of Chicago Press.
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American Geographical Society Collection (AGSC)
The AGSC is a major geography reference and research library located in Golda Meir library at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. In fact, it is the second largest map and geography library in the western hemisphere, and one of the ten largest in the world. The AGSC collection contains almost 500,000 maps and many other cartographic reference materials, with maps dating back to 1452. Access to materials received prior to 1985 is through a hard-copy map catalog; all materials received after 1985 are searchable online through PantherCat, the Library's online catalog. Additional information about some collections and the AGSC map cataloging system can be found here.
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Perry-Castañeda Library (PCL) Map Collection
The PCL Map Collection at the University of Texas contains over 250,000 maps, with over 5,000 viewable online. Many of the maps are searchable through UTNetCat, the Library's online catalogue. A significant number of historical maps are available for viewing and download online.
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Yale Map Collection
The Yale Map Collection consists of over 200,000 maps and cartographic reference materials. Approximately 15,000 of these maps pre-date 1850. Many historical maps are available for viewing online.
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The Newberry Library Maps and History of Cartography Collections The Library's collection encompasses approximately 300,000 maps supported by extensive holdings in cartographic literature, with materials dating back to the 1400s. The collection is widespread and includes everything from U.S. General Land Office plats and field notes for Illinois to a collection of over 800 maps printed in Italy during the 16th century. Maps acquired by the library since 1978 may be searched through an online catalogue; other materials are found in an onsite card catalogue.
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Map History/History of Cartography(UK)
This is a resource web site devoted to historical maps and mapping, hosted by the Institute for Historical Research in the U.K.. The site contains over 100 pages, and is mainly composed of links to other resources. Of particular interest are an extensive annotated listing of sites offering online images of early maps and a directory of historical map collections.
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David Rumsey Historical Map Collection
This is a large private collection focusing on maps of the Americas from the 18th and 19th centuries but including maps from all over the world. Over 6,000 high resolution scans of the maps in this collection may be viewed online.
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USGenWeb's United States Digital Map Library
This project, motivated by genealogical research needs, has created scans of historical maps organized by state and available for viewing over the internet.
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Other Commercial Sources
Other private sources include auctions and antique map dealers located through the U.S. Here is a simple internet directory to get you started.
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