Overlooked/Understood

The G. M. Hopkins Company was an American civil engineering and surveying firm in Philadelphia who created cadastral atlases.

Brothers George and Henry Hopkins founded the company. The firm specialized in real estate plat maps of the Eastern Seaboard. It's unknown who G. M. Hopkins actually was. Purveyors of rare maps state, "GM could be George or Griffin Morgan."  _{( https://www.geographicus.com/P/ctgy&Category_Code=gmhopkins)}   

The G.M. Hopkins Company was purchased by the Franklin Survey Company of Philadelphia in 1943 and continued publishing atlasses using the Hopkins imprint. In 1986 the company was renamed Franklin Maps and is still in operation.

Hopkins' plat books were typically used to document urban land divisions, property boundaries, and infrastructure development. These maps were generally made for city planning, real estate development, or administrative purposes. These maps helped governments and investors understand the layout and economic activities of a city.

The G.M. Hopkins' 1918 Plat Book of Providence belongs to the tradition of city atlases. It was created for the purposes of city planning and real estate management, documenting the buildings, infrastructure, and land distribution of Providence. This plat book reflects how land was used and planned during the urbanization process.

The photo below is the map key which explains what all the different colors meant.

The map representation is very technical. Yet the level of detail implies certain areas would need to be “handled” or walked through, not just visualized. This raises questions of how areas of this map would be verified? And to whom would the cartographers and engineers talk with? Who lived here?

From this map, the information is not entirely neutral, especially regarding the development of cities and infrastructure, which may reflect certain biases. This map was made during the period of rapid urbanization and industrialization in America (1918), so it focuses on elements like city industries, railways, and infrastructure, particularly from the perspective of city planning governed by white men.

Hopkins created this map in 1918, reflecting the urban landscape of the time. It may have recorded the peak of industrial development and railway expansion. By that time, the city center’s layout and infrastructure were fairly advanced, but earlier geologic forms, remaining rural landscapes, along with poor and ancestral communities may have been overlooked.

Now, 1918 is the publish date, by which we can imply the map may have begun its development from as early as 1916. World War 1 would be the major international action. Railroad interests are beginning to feel the strain of other transportation technologies such as street cars and the automobile. Horses are still used. And this map identifies numerous stables. Electricity is now a key part of urban infrastructure. And the Providence Sewer System has been in operation for nearly a decade – opening in 1901.

Thinking representationally, the map is distinctly American. Providence, a city in the Republic, wouldn’t have a coat of arms, but there are still signatures of “territorial possession.” (Harley, 69)

Take another look and notice the outlining of the state capital and the use of different font styles and font sizes to emphasis important areas. Also look at how the cartographers chose to use bold versus the small italics for the subordinated layers.

The map also highlights several large rail yards, industrial buildings, and warehouses (such as "Union Station," "General Fire Extinguisher Co.," and other factories near the River). These areas could have been significant for marginalized laborers, who may have worked in these industries or used the proximity to the railroad for movement within or beyond the city. Investigating the labor patterns and social conditions surrounding these industrial zones might provide insights into how workers navigated their lives in and around these spaces.

The Woonasquatucket River, along with its surrounding infrastructure, seems to form a natural and industrial boundary in the city. Historically, rivers have often been zones of both opportunity and exclusion. The Woonasquatucket River’s role in the lives of marginalized groups—whether as a site for labor, transportation, or community gathering—could be explored. The map shows bridges and crossings that may have been crucial in shaping access to different parts of the city.

There are locations on the map where we can envision how marginalized groups navigated and experienced this section of Providence.

One street specifically gives us a window into the past use and how residents may have experienced this area of Providence. Hayes Street has remained unchanged along its north edge since 1918 while its southern edge has been radically altered.

The map also includes residential sections, marked by smaller plots and more detailed street layouts. These areas, particularly those near industrial zones and further from the State Capitol, might have housed working-class or immigrant communities.

If you take a closer look the upper left-hand corner is curious. “Common Street” is located on the back side of the state capital and the back side of the train tracks. The neighborhood has a southern boundary of Smith Street and yet there is just enough buffer from the larger street to imply a neighborhood dynamic could happen here. Also notice the cool dog-leg that Liberty Street makes around a commercial building to communicate with Smith Street and Jefferson. It makes an attractive clump of lots with interesting geometries on both sides of the street.

Initially we were struck by how vibrant the pink buildings were represented. At first we thought the color was indicating the building use. However the color actually indicates material.

Brick was the most fire resistant form of building material on the market when this map was produced. Indicating this area was potentially a more desirable place for industrial investment. Some of the brick building erected were actually built to house the laborers who worked in the factories. Often brick was selected as it was the cheapest building material.

Another key factor is the New England Steam Brick Company was located very close in Barrington. Not only did this company attract and employ many immigrant workers, the firm supplied the majority of the bricks which built Providence. Since bricks from Barrington were close and easy to transport by boat directly up the Woonasquatucket River they were much cheaper as a building material. Also they had the lowest maintenance cost as individual bricks could be replaced and removed as needed without damaging the surrounding structure.

An article in the Providence Journal in 1919 interviewed Captain Phillip A. Carr who described the transportation of brick from Barrington up to city.

“The Slyph went to Nayatt each afternoon, carrying two or more empty scows. They were polled up the canal at Nayatt, loaded at the kilns of the Nayatt Brick Company and early the next morning they were brought to Providence to be unloaded,