During the Civil War, the Survey of the Coast found a new purpose—preparing secret reports on the waters along the Atlantic seaboard to improve Union blockades. This website collects and shares materials from the United States Coast Survey, 1861 through 1865.

You can, for example, read any of nine Notes on the Coast of the United States, prepared by the Blockade Strategy Board. These detail sailing conditions and geography for use by Union captains and generals. Summaries, located under the "Documents" heading, cover the process of creating these lengthy reports.

Additional features include a brief biography of Alexander Dallas Bache, U.S. Coast Survey supervisor; an 1861 map showing slave population density; short overviews of some of the other members of the survey team during the Civil War; and a 33-page PDF concerning the history of the Coast Survey between 1843 and 1867. The PDF contains several maps and photographs.

Using the search box on the main page will retrieve Civil War-era maps of cities, camps, works, battlefields, and more.

The cultural heritage of Maryland is readily accessible here through thousands of digitized documents, maps, and images arranged into more than 40 collections and two exhibits. Baltimore's native son and prominent early 20th-century journalist H.L. Mencken is featured through a collection of 19 portraits, artifacts, and letters. Edgar Allen Poe, who lived in Baltimore late in his life, can be glimpsed through 18 portraits, drafts, and letters. Another collection offers digital copies of primary sources from the War of 1812, including an original draft of the "The Star-Spangled Banner."

Other collections include photographs of African American life, a selection of sports-related items, photographs and watercolor paintings of old houses and churches in Queen Anne's County, vintage photographs of Baltimore streets and street cars, and a series of photographs awaiting identification from collection users. Ample historical context, including library donation information, is provided for all collections. The website's blog will be useful for those interested in library sciences, preservation, and digital archiving.