George Washington and His Maps

Smithsonian Magazine ^ | 16 Nov 2010 | John Hanc

[Palter]

GW, ping.

[KC Burke]

interesting article

thanks

[NavyCanDo]

Timely post. On the recommendation of Glenn Beck I purchased the book “The Real George Washington”, and I am about half way through which is at Wars end. Fascinating man. A Giant among Men.

[Kartographer]

A MOST ENJOYABLE POST!!!!!

[SMARTY]

Maps are beautiful things... old maps the most beautiful.

[Pharmboy]

Palter: thanks for the ping and the magnificent post! I have read Schecter's book on the RevWar in NY...he's a good man. Also to note: one of the more famous maps The General did himself was the first map of a planned Alexandria:

[the map and the comments below come from earlyamerica.com]

This map of Alexandria, Virginia, was prepared by George Washington during his career as a public surveyor. The map included a street grid and a list of lot owners, which included Washington's older half-brothers, Lawrence and Augustine, William Fairfax, and George William Fairfax.

The RevWar/Colonial History/General Washington ping list...

[Pharmboy]

Palter: thanks for the ping and the magnificent post! I have read Schecter's book on the RevWar in NY...he's a good man. Also to note: one of the more famous maps The General did himself was the first map of a planned Alexandria:

[the map and the comments below come from earlyamerica.com]

This map of Alexandria, Virginia, was prepared by George Washington during his career as a public surveyor. The map included a street grid and a list of lot owners, which included Washington's older half-brothers, Lawrence and Augustine, William Fairfax, and George William Fairfax.

The RevWar/Colonial History/General Washington ping list...

[unkus]

Thank you so much for the wonderful post. What beautiful maps. The accuracy is amazing.

[Pharmboy]

Sorry about the double post, but I got an error message the first time so I hit it again.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Thanks so much for posting...and for going to the trouble to include the links to the maps themselves! I love historic cartography. It does indeed reveal so much about our history.

[Cold Heart]

I found the loran lines over printed on classical navigation charts very irritating.

[Dr. Scarpetta]

About 43 of Washington’s maps—the actual maps—were saved and bound together, most likely by his family after his death in 1799. Eventually, they made their way to Yale University’s Sterling Library.

Schecter, a 1985 Yale graduate, read about them in the university’s alumni magazine. Intrigued, he went to New Haven to see them and was flabbergasted by their richness—exquisitely rendered, copper-plate engraved, many with additional water color painting.

All were from Washington’s personal library and recently cleaned and restored. “I was blown away,” says Schecter, the author of the critically-acclaimed books The Revolutionary Battle of New York, and the Civil War Draft Riots. “To hold maps he held sends shivers down the spine.”

Very interesting that they could make such good maps...

[Godebert]

Here he is at age 19 surveying.

I snapped this photo last year at the new museum complex on the grounds at Mt. Vernon.

[Godebert]

Close up:

[mick]

Outstanding and informative post...Thank you, Sir, we are in your debt !!

[mick]

Thanks for this photo post.....very interesting !

What a resource is FREE REPUBLIC !!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Nicely done! Thank you! :)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Thanks for the ping. I LOVE maps. Endlessly fascinating. I have a relief map of The Great Lakes that I keep meaning to frame. Now is the time! :)

[Interesting Times]

Ping.