Maps

Map Collection

Most maps produced prior to 1900 are located in the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library, although the map collection does include some facsimile reprints of pre-1900 maps. These are arranged using Library of Congress call numbers and many are represented in the library catalog. Some historic maps have been scanned by various institutions and the images are available on the web.  Older maps in our map collection include the following.

• Facsimiles: These can often be found using the library catalog.
  
  • Search the subject begins with :  Maps--Facsimiles
    
  • Many of the facsimiles are published by the company Historic Urban Plans. You can search them as a publisher in the catalog's advanced search interface:  historic urban plans
• Early 20th century USGS topographic maps:  We have many maps in discontinued series (such as the 1:62,500 scale). Arranged by series in the lower cabinets painted olive drab or with simulated wood grain.
  Some indexes to help identify these older maps include:
  • Map Index to Topographic Quadrangles of the United States, 1882-1940, by Riley Moffat.
    Map Coll. Ref. 016.912733 M695 M297 1985.
    The first index to look at.  It contains graphic indexes for maps in standard topographic map series (e.g., 15-minute/1:62,500, 30-minute/1:125,000, 1 degree/1:250,000, etc.).
  • Index to Topographic Maps of [State Name].
    Located in a filing cabinet drawer labeled "Indexes" opposite the cabinets with "G" call numbers.
    These are the older editions of the standard fold-up topographic map indexes produced by the USGS. When available, they are filed in the appropriate state folder. They may identify names of some of the post-1940 15-minute quadrangles that in the 1970's had not yet been superseded by the 7½ minute series quadrangles.
  • A Cartobibliography of Separately Published U.S. Geological Survey Special Maps and River Surveys, by Peter Stark.
    Map Coll. Ref. 016.91273 S795 C328 1989.
    This volume indexes maps produced separately from the regular topographic series, such as odd scales or topo series that cover sub-state regions. Any of these maps that we have should be in the drawer labeled "Odd Scales" in the cabinet with simulated wood grain.
• Pre-1972 USGS topographic maps on microfilm:  If you can't find an older map in our paper collection, we have all of the pre-1972 quadrangles for several states in the southeastern U.S. (AR, GA, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA). Many of these date to the late 19^th or early 20^th centuries. Use the indexes mentioned above.  The microfilm cabinet is opposite the beginning of the cabinets with "G" call numbers.
• Soil Survey Maps (by county): Early 20th century maps of some North Carolina counties from USDA soil surveys. To see if and when a soil survey was produced for a particular county, the List of Published Soil Surveys is available online. A 1990 edition is available in the Public Documents Dept. at the call number A 57.38: list/990. Early soil survey maps are available in several places: Map Collection "G" schedule call numbers; Map Collection NC Soil Survey Drawer (filed by county name); and folded in the back of the soil survey books in the US Documents stacks at A 57:38 (you need to use the above referenced list to determine the date). Please ask staff for assistance.
• Post Route Maps (by state):  For many states we have postal route maps from the U.S. Post Office, mostly dating from about 1900 to 1945. These mostly show towns as well as railroad lines that handled mail (which included most railroads at the time, except for a few small branches).  Many are in the library catalog under the title "post route map ...".  The maps for some states aren't cataloged, so you'll have to browse by call number (for a given state, the "G" class ending in "1" followed by the subject code .P8) an or use the subject cards in the old catalog.   We don't have these for all states.
• Geologic Atlas of the United States:  These folio volumes for scattered areas around the country were produced by the USGS in the late 19th and early 20th century.  Besides geology, the topographic sheets in each folio volume provide a wealth of information on the cultural features (structures, roads, railroads, etc.) existing at the time.  The Atlas volumes are located near the older USGS topographic maps in the cabinet with simulated wood grain, and there is a listing by state in the top drawer.
• Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps (North Carolina cities & towns):  Microfilm copies of very detailed North Carolina city maps dating from the 1880s through the mid-20th century. These show outlines of buildings. Microfilm is located in the back of the Map Collection alcove.  There are reel listings in a report binder on top of the film cabinets.
  Somewhat fuzzier, but more broadly accessible, are the Digital Sanborn Maps for North Carolina Cities, available online to Duke users only.
  Original paper copies of these maps in color (film and online are black & white) are available for research in the North Carolina Collection at the Wilson Library at UNC-Chapel Hill.
• Ward Maps (US cities):  These detailed maps on microfiche cover selected United States cities and date from before 1900. The eye-readable header indicates city and date. Filed in the map microfiche drawer.
• World War II era maps:  We have topographic and thematic maps dating from World War II from the British military (G.S.G.S., or Geographical Section, General Staff) and U.S. military and intelligence (Army Map Service and Office of Stategic Services). Arranged using Library of Congress "G" call numbers. Some maps or sets are represented in the online catalog and others in the card catalog, but please ask about other access methods.
• Samuel Thorton Sea Atlas: A microfiche copy of an atlas showing world coastlines (with most detail in Europe) at about 1702. Filed in the map microfiche drawer.