Maps and Atlases

The Society's collection of approximately 10,000 maps represents all parts of the world but focuses primarily on North America. Strengths include maps of New England from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and maps of Massachusetts.

Access

The following materials in the maps and atlases collections are cataloged in the General Catalog:

• All maps printed before 1820. These maps have been digitized. Follow links in each General Catalog record to view images.
• All manuscript maps, ranging in date from 1672 to 1945. These maps have been digitized. Follow links in each General Catalog record to view images.
• All pocket maps. These portable maps are folded into leather or paperboard bindings. A portion of the collection has been digitized with links to images available in the General Catalog records.
• All atlases. Consisting of about 650 volumes, dating from the late sixteenth century to the early twentieth century, this collection includes many world atlases. However, its focus is atlases of the United States, particularly of New England. Included are atlases designed for school use, as well as volumes devoted to maps of states, counties, and cities. The entire collection has been cataloged in the General Catalog.

Resources

One hundred thirty-seven of the Society's pre-1800 maps are included in ARGO: American Revolutionary Geographies Online, a project led by the Leventhal Map and Education Center at the Boston Public Library and the George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon.