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1850s Wall Maps
ca. 1870 "Beers"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Old Road Maps
Town Map Overlay Sets
Simplify your research into old roads and house sites

For a fee, we offer on a special order basis, sets of 6  printed detailed maps at the same scale as an aid to research into old roads and old houses. Examples from the Town of Pomfret are seen below. Using these same-scale maps you can study the changes by overlaying the maps on one another. For most Vermont Towns all 6 of these maps - approximate years - are available now.
(Your town may  not be the exact year as these examples, but generally the following old maps are available in addition to the 1986 and 1996 maps:   mid-1850s maps (wall maps) and circa 1870 maps (Beers)  1893-1953 (original USGS maps)

1856
 Oldest Detailed Map
from the "Map of Windsor County, 1856" by Hosea Doton. The oldest map to show all houses and homeowner's names..

1986 & 2003  
   2 Modern Maps
The 1986 map (above) shows all buildings in recent years. There is also a 2003 State AOT map which is more accurate and shows all road segments by number and length, but does not show houses (not pictured).

Note that the 1856 map of Pomfret's town center is quite different than the 1986 map.  Both maps show all roads and principal buildings.  There is a northwesterly road leading out of the center which is has been stubbed off by 1986, and the main east-west road from the center has been replaced by a more southerly looped road.  3 other maps of the same area are below.

1869    "Beers" Atlas
from the "Atlas of Windsor County",
 1869, by F.W. Beers. The "Beers" maps provide different names and roads than the 1850s map. They came after the great changes wrought by the railroads and the Civil War. 
1908-11 Old USGS
from the US Geological Survey. The first topographical maps, though rude by today's standards, are much more accurate than the earlier commercial maps. (These are also available for free download at the UNH website - though you will need to piece the maps together)
1986 Modern USGS
from the US Geological Survey. Accurate topography helps to show landforms which might - or might not - be suitable for roads, then or now.
The same area is shown on these 3 maps.  The 1869 shows the north-south road already stubbed off, but the loop road going easterly does not yet exist.  The 1908 USGS map shows a driveway loop to the south which later - 1986 at least, and on the 1996 USGS map - has become the main east-west road.  The 1996 USGS map shows the old east-west road as a dashed line.
Specifications:                                                    
Whole-town only - not including villages*
Paper prints at 1"=2000'.
Printed on large sheets of paper.  2003 Modern Map
 is printed on transparent paper for quick comparisons.
Size varies with the town - about 20" x 24"
Shipped rolled in a tube. Allow 3 weeks for delivery.
(or  Click Here to ask us to make a Compilation Map)
The 6 Maps

1)1850s wall map.
2)  ca. 1870 "Beers" 
3) early 1900s USGS  (1893-1941)
4) 1990s USGS 
5) 1986 State Hwy Map
6) 2003 State Hwy Map

 Set of 6 Town Overlay Maps for Road Research                                                       $190      _____
                                         
              "              "      and  CDROM (JPEG files**)                      $220      _____
                                           ****
Set of 6 Town Overlay Maps  CDROM ONLY                       $140      _____
                                                                                                                  (shipping / handling)                               $   10

To order a set of these maps, print a copy of this page, write your town here:  ________________. Write a check for $200 for the paper set (or $230 for paper +CD; or $150 for CD only).  Make your check payable to   Old Maps and mail to PO Box 54, West Chesterfield, NH  03466. Please allow 3 weeks for delivery, as these maps are made to order.   (Call 413-772-2801 days if you have any questions).

* Many of the old maps include village detail maps in addition to the town-wide maps.  These villagel maps are not printed to scale in the scaled Town Overlay Maps offering, but unscaled paper prints of them are provided.
How we make the Overlay Maps:   An accurate base map is made using the 2003 Vermont AOT street map at 1" = 2000', and then the other maps are printed out at the same scale and size. For the modern and old USGS maps this requires that we scan and combine sheets (many towns are on more than one USGS sheet).  The older maps (wall maps and "Beers") are tricky because they weren't made by accurate surveys.  We use road intersections to calculate the scaling factor rather than town lines or the stated scale on the map.  This assures that the overlays are as close as possible to the modern map.  When using the older maps, you should consider their lack of precision when doing road analysis.
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This site is published by Old Maps, a business which reproduces and sells historical maps of Vermont and other states.  Most of the content on this site is free.

Revised: 06/02/08
Copyright © 2006 [Old Maps]. All rights reserved.