Showing posts with label Historical Map. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Historical Map. Show all posts

Friday, February 25, 2022

Antique New York State Maps

  • From the David Rumsey Collection
  • Fully Interactive (pan, zoom, etc.)

Map Of The State Of New York With the Latest Improvements (1845)

Interactive Map >

Note the side panel illustrations of Mountains and Rivers

  • Ballston Lake = Long Lake 
  • Lake George Village = Caldwell

Engineers Map of The State Of New York (1864)

Showing State Division into "agricultural Groups"

Interactive Map >

  • Outline color by agricultural group. 
  • Shows canals, railroads in operation, in progress, and proposed.
  • Note clear views of the railroads

1879 - New York Wilderness And The Adirondacks

  • Great Detail
  • Even many hotels are listed!

New York State - 1895

Interactive Map >

Monday, November 15, 2021

Glastonbury Connecticut History

Glastonbury Connecticut has had an interesting history.  This post details a few historical highlights as told thru maps,

Click on any map for enlargement


Indian Trails

The Native Americans of the present-day Glastonbury/Portland area were members of Algonkian-speaking tribes. Known as the Wangonks, they were peaceful and farmed the land. In the summer, they lived along the river in longhouses. In winter, they moved to the hills and lived in south- or west-facing caves.  Trading between other tribes was done not only by water but by a series of well-established trails

Villages

The town of Glastenbury was first settled by white settlers in 1636 and town was officially founded in 1693 . Land was bought from the Native American chief Sowheag for 12 yards of trading cloth. In 1870, the name of the town was changed from Glastenbury to Glastonbury, with a spelling to match Glastonbury, England. Various villages sprung up in the area.
  • Bucks Corner
  • Eagleville >Addison 
  • East Glastonbury
  • South Glastonbury
  • Curtisville > Naubuc
  • Buckingham
  • Wassuc
Addison
The area known as Addison once went by another name: Eagleville. It’s name came from the Eagle Manufacturing Company which produced woolen goods, including uniforms for the Union Army in the Civil War.

Curtisville > Naubuc
The Curtisville area was one of the first parts of Glastonbury to be settled by English colonists, who had been using its riverfront meadows since the 17th century. Salmon Brook was recognized as a source of water power in the colonial period, but its industrial development did not begin until the 1840s, when Oswin Welles began the manufacture of wooden wares and cigars. Brothers Frederick and Joseph Curtis established a major silver plating factory on the south bank of the brook around that time. 

The Curtisville area was developed mainly in the 19th century, it illustrates the coexistence of agricultural and industrial pursuits in a single village area, mixing worker housing, former farm properties, and a small mill complex. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. 


Mills

Water-powered mills were often the backbone of early New England communities

In 1791 there were:
  • three saw mills on Roaring Brook in Buckingham;
  • one saw mill on Hubbard Brook;
  • two saw mills on Hubbard Brook;
  • one saw mill on Roaring Brook in South Glastonbury;
  • two grist mills on Roaring Brook in Buckingham;
  • one grist mill on Roaring Brook in South Glastonbury;
  • a saw mill near Log Landing;
  • three saw mills Roaring Brook in South Glastonbury; and
  • other grist mills on both Salmon Brook and Hubbard Brook
Sourced from Book:
Glastonbury: From Settlement to Suburb: A History of the 300-Year-Old Town
Author: Marjorie G. McNulty
Publisher ‏: ‎ Historical Society of Glastonbury

1884 Historic Map
South Glastonbury
Glastonbury
East Glastonbury
Buckingham


Shipyards

Glastonbury  was once the home of several shipyards, sail lofts, ironworks that forged anchors and other equipment and various shops that sold provisions. The first shipyard was located at the south end of Keeney Cove - it was known as the Naubuc Shipyard. Another shipyard was located at Logs Landing in South Glastonbury. The needs of these shipyards were filled by sawmills, charcoal kilns, and forges that created ship’s anchors.

Several hundred vessels were built in yards in Keeney Cove and along the river bank of South Glastonbury. Those yards have disappeared from view, and some sites are even under water.

The fleet of sailing vessels on the Connecticut peaked about 1865, when it was eclipsed by steamboats. By the end of the century, the steamers had given way to the railroads. The great river was no longer a commercial thoroughfare.

Trolley

Although much to the disappointment of early residents, a railroad never passed near Glastonbury but in 1893, a trolley was built into town. In 1892 the trolley line first reached from East Hartford to Hubbard Brook and in 1893 it was extended to South Glastonbury. Further details: Hartford Area Trolleys >

Feldspar Quarries

The quarrying in Connecticut of pegmatites for feldspar began around 1825. In the South Glastonbury/Portland Area there were numerous quarries in operation in the late 1800s. For centuries pegmatite was chiefly valued for its mineral feldspar. Industry demanded good-quality feldspar for making porcelain pottery, vitrified sanitary ware (sinks and toilets), enamelware, glass, poultry grit (which was fed to chickens to help them process food in their crop), abrasives, and fertilizer.

Feldspar mining peaked in Connecticut in the early 1900s; in 1908 Connecticut, with its four “spar” mills, was the leading producer of this mineral in the United States. Many quarries were operated during World War II for sheet mica and beryl. Further Info: Back to the Abandoned Quarries >

Early Industries

Gunpowder Mill/Factory
In the early 1770s, the Stocking family built a gunpowder mill on the north bank of Roaring Brook in the Cotton Hollow area. This factory/mill was one of four in New England and it supplied gunpowder for George Washington's Continental Army. The factory produced a highly explosive powder used in small amounts to ignite a heavier powder in flintlock firearms. Sadly it exploded in August 1777 but was rebuilt again and continued to supply gunpowder for the Army until the end of the war.
Further Info: Courant article >

Tannery
The tannery on Hubbard Brook beside the New London Turnpike was built in 1854 to process pig and cow hides. The firm ceased operation in the 1870s and was sold in 1886 to German immigrant Herman Roser who then limited his product to pig skins. After World War I, mechanization proceeded more rapidly, with the addition of larger vats, machines for shaving and splitting the hides and a steam engine to drive them. Among the new customers for Roser pigskin leather in the 1920s were the makers of the Pierce-Arrow automobile, which had the firm's leather covering its seats. 

The tannery closed in 1968 and the plant was then occupied by a machine shop run by the Flanagan Brothers Inc. specializing in aerospace assemblies. The former mill complex was converted into luxury apartments and a restaurant in 2017, 

Soap Factory
The J. B. Williams Co. Historic District encompasses a historic 19th-century factory complex and related family housing. The area includes a mid-19th century frame factory as well as later brick buildings, and houses belonging to its owners, members of the Williams family. The soap factory operated by the Williamses was one of town's largest economic forces until its mid-20th century decline. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
Further Info: JB Williams - Soap Factory and Park


The Peach King

Growing peaches in New England was a bit of a challenge because of the plant’s affinity for warmer weather, but John Howard Hale of South Glastonbury discovered a few hardy trees on his grandfather’s farm and developed a new type of peach that more capably endured the harsh New England climate and produced large delicious fruit. 

Hale also made use of the latest advances in technology to get his fruit to market. In the 1890s, he used the local trolley line to transport his peaches to Hartford, commissioning three special cars for the purpose. Peaches were notoriously difficult to keep fresh, but Hale discovered that through the use of refrigeration, he actually extended their shelf life. Workers pre-cooled the peaches and then loaded them on to special refrigerator railroad cars containing bunkers filled with ice to keep the fruit cool during transport. By the end of the 19th century, Hale shipped peaches all over the United States, and even to Europe. Further Info: John Howard Hale: Glastonbury’s Peach King

Additional Credits/Sources

Friday, August 9, 2019

Native American History - New York State

Being equally fascinated with historical maps AND Native American history in upstate New York where I grew up - this post is a result of online research. There is a wealth of materials out there if you look :-)

Click on any Map for an enlargement and better yet, go to the link provided to see the the full version where you can zoom in and pan


-Part One-

New York State Library - Native American Materials
The New York State Library holds a wealth of first hand descriptions of the Native American experience in New York. These resources span four centuries, beginning with the Dutch colony of New Netherland and continuing to the close of the American frontier in western New York and beyond. Original manuscripts and maps serve as lenses through which cultural and historical interpretations can be made.

The Five Nations - 1747
A map of the country of the Five Nations belonging to the Province of New York, and of the lakes near which the nations of far Indians live, with part of Canada.
Created By: Bradford, William, 1663-1752
http://purl.nysed.gov/nysl/51719615

Six Nations and New York Province - 1771
Copied from the original map drawn by Guy Johnson in 1771, this map was printed in The Documentary History of the New York by E. B. O'Callaghan, volume 4, page 661.
Created: 1851
Guy Johnson came to American in 1756 and was the Irish-born nephew, son-in-law and protégé of Sir William Johnson. He became a deputy to Sir William Johnson in his uncle's position as British Superintendent of Indian Affairs and succeeded him when William died in 1774.

Iroquois Cantons Map - 1747
Map indicating "sites of Indian Village and Jesuit missions, in the 17th and 18th centuries, in relation to modern towns.
Created By: Beauchamp, William Martin, 1830-1925
http://purl.nysed.gov/nysl/44687294

Indian Trails in New York State - 1755
Map showing trails, portages and settlements from Albany to Niagara during Sir William Johnson's tenure as "Sole Superintendent of the Affairs of the Six United Nations, their Allies and Dependents" which he held from 1755 until his death in 1774.
Created by: Mitchell, Louis (based on the papers of Sir William Johnson, outline of trails furnished by W.M. Beauchamp)
http://purl.nysed.gov/nysl/44714090


-Part Two-

Historical Maps from the David Rumsey Historical Map Collection...

Indian Reservations in the Northeast (1840)
Published in 1932 by the Carnegie Institution of Washington, American Geographical Society of New York
David Rumsey Historical Map Collection
Indian Territory - Published 1836
Map of the Indian Tribes of North America about 1600 A.D. along the Atlantic and about 1800 A.D. westwardly. 
David Rumsey Historical Map Collection
Patents NY State showing Indian Reservations - 1895
David Rumsey Historical Map Collection
1763 - Map of Colonial Possessions (published in French)
"Possessions Angloises & Francoises du Continent de l'Amerique Septentrionale"
David Rumsey Historical Map Collection

-Part Three-

Plundered in Search of Indian Artifacts
For more than 3,000 years, this alluring isle of stone in the Hudson River north of present-day Kingston has beckoned strangers.  Native Americans took shelter in a west-facing sandstone rock shelter and pulled mounds of shellfish from the river.
Location - Google Maps
Strangers still come to Magdalen, but now they arrive with shovel in hand to dig up arrowheads and other prehistoric artifacts illegally. Because Magdalen is half a mile from the Dutchess County shore, they work undetected and largely undisturbed. The quarter-mile-long island is so pockmarked with looters’ holes that parts look more like a bombing range than a state-owned parcel of land listed on the national and state registers of historic places.

Did you know about Kinaquariones?
Site of archaic Algonkian village. and old trail
Historic Marker
Ganondagan
Location of the largest Seneca village of the 17th century, Ganondagan is now a State Historic Site.


By Dmadeo - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0,

Kanatsiohareke
Kanatsiohareke is a small Mohawk community on the north bank of the Mohawk River, west of Fonda, New York. The name means "The clean pots” or “Place of the washed pail”.

Ganienkeh
Ganienkeh (meaning Land of the Flint Mohawk), is a Mohawk community located on about 600 acres near Altona, New York in the far northeast corner of Upper New York State. Established by an occupation of militants in the late 1970s, it is a rare case in which an indigenous people reclaiming land from the United States "succeeded".

Kahnawà:ke 
Kahnawà:ke is one of eight territories that make up the Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) Nation. The Mohawk Nation is a member of the Haudenosaunee or People of the Longhouse
Six Nation Iroquois Confederacy.
History & Culture

- details on their history, cultural regions, languages, etc.

Friday, May 3, 2019

The Growth of Railroads in the Capital District

Charting the history and explosive growth in this area through a chronological series of maps...

visit page >



Historic Map Overlays


What a great way to compare yesteryear history with today: Historic Map Overlays!


-Click on any map visit the page with the interactive map overlay-

Jersey City Rail Yards - Then and Now

Newport, NJ, now a a white-collar corporate enclave of high rises, chain stores and franchise restaurants was born on the ashes of former massive railroad yards. It’s a fascinating story of decline and revival...

Mystery Ruins

Unraveling the mysteries of a forgotten trolley bridge...
scroll to bottom of linked page

Sacandaga - Before and After

Flood On The Tracks - Last Days of the Gloversville And Northville. This interactive overlay  is  art of the Flood on the Tracks Presentation


Historic Maps (part one)

Old maps are fascinating... you can learn so much from them. Here are a few to enjoy...

1776 Map - New York

Provinces of New York, and New Jersey; with part of "Pensilvania" (note the early Dutch spelling)
Link to map

1895 - N.Y. land grants, patents, purchases 

David Rumsey Map Collection. Link to map 

1856 Greene County Map

Before the trains... before the Kaaterskill Hotel... the Catskill Mountain House and the twisting stagecoach road to get up there... Link to Map

Saturday, January 5, 2019

How Slavery Expanded Across the United States

By the 1860s, the U.S. had an economic system that kept nearly 4 million people in bondage. Interestingly, a Coast Survey map created and compiled from the 1860 census depicted the percentage of the population enslaved in each county. Abraham Lincoln consulted it throughout the Civil War.
1861 Coast Survey Map
Wikimedia Commons

Slave labor was integral to the plantation economy of the south and of course cotton was one of its main products
.

The slave population  grew in intensity in places around the Chesapeake Bay, even as slavery was gradually abolished in the North. But for the most part the slave population spread westward to the lands opened for settlement by the Louisiana Purchase, the dispossession of the Indian nations of the Southeast, the war with Mexico, and the distribution of public lands. Slavery spread rather than grew because it was an agricultural rather than industrial form of capitalism, so it needed new lands.

The unceasing spread of slavery provoked political crises, eventually leading to the Civil War. As Abraham Lincoln put it in is 1858 "House Divided" speech:
"Either the opponents of slavery, will arrest the further spread of it, and place it where the public mind shall rest in the belief that it is in the course of ultimate extinction; or its advocates will push it forward, till it shall become alike lawful in all the States, old as well as new, North as well as South."