New York City Map Exhibition
Maps from the McKeldin Collection
The New York City Map Exhibition was displayed in the East wing's hallway on the 4th floor of the McKeldin Library.
New York City Map Exhibition
February 5th to February 19th
Exhibit 2:
Revolutionary War era Map
This 1776 map shows the topography of the New York City area. Much of Manhattan was empty and only a few small towns were in the vicinity – some on Long Island (Flushing, today part of Queens), Flatbush (now in Brooklyn), and scattered towns in New Jersey – Newark, Elizabeth Town (Elizabeth), and in the southwest corner was Brunswick (now New Brunswick) on the Rariton (Raritan) River. A few country roads criss-crossed the region. Years later – in the 1790 census – only about 165,000 people lived in this area, 33,000 of them in New York City – America’s largest city!
Exhibit 3:
Hudson County, New Jersey
An 1879 map of part of Hudson County – directly across the Hudson from midtown and lower Manhattan – shows how the grid street pattern of Manhattan was also popular in the nearby suburbs of Hoboken, Jersey City, etc.
Lower Manhattan in 1661
New Amsterdam, as it was known until 1664, covered just the tip of lower Manhattan. Perhaps 300 houses were crowded into the small area according to some estimates.
National Geographic map of Manhattan
This detailed 1990 map of Manhattan shows the grid street pattern, describes many of the neighborhoods, and shows the locations of more than 200 points of interest. The Empire State Building can be found at 5th Avenue and 34th Street.
Large Map of Manhattan
400 years ago, in 1624, the first Dutch settlers took up residence on Manhattan – or more likely on neighboring Governor’s Island in New York Harbor, since a smaller island was easier to defend. Eventually, as their small colony grew, they did move onto Manhattan, where, in 1626, they supposedly purchased the island for $24 worth of goods and trinkets. The settlement was named New Amsterdam – a tribute to Amsterdam, the great center of Dutch commerce. In 1664 the British captured the town and renamed it New York. From there the city began to grow northward. This map shows the island (up to 135th Street) in 1881 – the shaded areas show blocks occupied by buildings either completed or under construction. New York City was coextensive with Manhattan in 1880 when the city’s population was 1,206,299. In 1898 it annexed Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island to become the New York City we know today. In 1881, you can see there were still many areas of vacant land north and west of Central Park. They would not stay vacant for long.
Exhibit 4:
American Automobile Assn. map of the New York City area
This 2009 map gives you an idea of how the New York City area has expanded since those early days. Suburbs of the city extend many miles into New Jersey, far north along the Hudson River, and fifty or more miles eastward across Long Island. About 19 million people live in the greater New York City region today.
Exhibit 5: (Long Term)
The Globe
Located on the atlas cabinet in the Map Collection (West wing on the 4th floor of the McKeldin Library)
All the maps and atlas will available at the map collection after the exhibition.
