Historical Maps of the United States

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Map, Exploration Before 1675
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This division of the Perry-Castaneda Map Collection provides access to 500 historical maps of the U.S. Maps are sorted thematically and include three maps of early inhabitants, 11 of exploration and early settlement from 1675 to 1854, and 15 of territorial growth from 1775 to 1970. Of the 95 military history maps covering engagements from 1763 to 1967, 50 are about World War II alone.

Among 183 late 19th- and 20th-century maps, there are 146 of U.S. cities produced around 1920. Historic sites, memorials, and battlefields are represented in 191 maps of sites such as Aztec ruins in New Mexico, the Bering land bridge in Alaska, and the Vicksburg battle site in Mississippi. Most of the maps are excerpted from 20th-century historical atlases. The site will be particularly useful for research in military history and early 20th-century urban history.

Historic Topographic Maps of California

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Map, San Francisco 15-minute Quadrangle, 1895
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Provides historical United States Geological Survey maps of the San Francisco Bay area, from Point Reyes in the north to Half Moon Bay, and east to San Jose. Includes maps from different time periods—the earliest is from 1895, the latest 1997—covering each 7.5-minute and 15-minute quadrangle of the area. Users may zoom in to see minute details. Searchable by quadrangle or place name. Of value for those studying change over time in the development of the Bay Area during the 20th century.

Historical Maps Online

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Map, D.B. Cooke & Co.'s railway guide for Illinois...
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This website offers more than 400 images of historic maps charting 400 years of development in Illinois and the northwest territory. The collection of maps can be browsed by state or geographic area or by categories such as early maps, topographic maps of Illinois, Indians of North America, waterways, and transportation. Types of maps include maps showing roads and canals, topographical maps, French and Spanish colonial maps, maps of railways, city maps, county and township maps, maps showing regions of settlement, and sectional state maps.

A zoom and pan feature allows the map images to be examined in detail and bibliographic information is provided with each map image. A keyword search is available. An excellent source of historic maps.

U.S. Geological Survey

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The U.S. Geological Survey exists as a federal organization created to study the nation's flora, fauna, biology, geography, bodies of water, geology, and geospatial information.

The USGS provides access to their entire photographic collection, which is sub-divided into portraiture, photographers, "pioneer photographers," and images of earthquakes; mines, mills, and quarries; national parks; and Mt. St. Helens.

In addition, educators can access nine sub-sites and resources optimal for K-6 education, covering land use and exploration. Sample topics include "A Satellite View of the Journey of Lewis and Clark" and "Urban Growth in American Cities." Twelve resources, also addressing land use and exploration, are available for grades 7-12.

Available teacher packets, like the majority of the site, will primarily be of use to science educators. However, the three packets on maps could be used in conjunction with units on westward expansion or exploration.

A Portion of the People: Three Hundred Years of Southern Jewish Life

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Oil on canvas, Mary Olivia Lucas Harby. . . , c. 1830, A Portion of the People
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This exhibit tells "the story of Southern Jewish settlers and their descendants from the late 1600s through the 21st century." It currently consists of two presentations, each with more than 50 pages presenting an image from the exhibit's collection with accompanying explanatory text. Images include portraits, maps, historical documents, photographs of Jewish ritual books and religious and cultural objects, paintings and photographs of synagogues, and photographs of Jewish businesses. "First Families" explores the period from the 1600s to the 1820s through more than 50 images and "This Happy Land" explores the antebellum and Civil War years through more than 90 images. (The presentation "Pledging Allegiance," recounting the story of Jewish migration to the South in the first half of the 20th century, is under construction.) Visitors can listen to six interviews featuring voices from the past (transcripts are available). Additionally, a photographic essay with more than 40 photographs, "Palmetto Jews" by Bill Aron, examines Jewish life in South Carolina over the past 50 years. There is no site search capability.

Architecture and Interior Design for America: 1935-1955

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Photo, Charles E.F. McCann residence, Oyster Bay, Long Island, New York, LoC
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A photo archive of more than 29,000 images, produced by architectural photographers Samuel Gottscho and William Schleisner. Gottscho and Schleisner were commissioned to document the work of architects, sculptors, and artists for individuals and institutional clients, such as House Beautiful and House and Garden magazines. The collection specializes in views taken primarily in the northeastern United States--many in the New York City area--and in Florida. Subjects include homes, stores, offices, factories, and historic buildings. Also of note are 100 color images of the 1939-1940 New York World's Fair. As the introductory text points out, the assembled group of photographs can "serve as a document of social change from a particular vantage point of the middle and upper classes of society."

The Urban Landscape

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Photo, San Francisco
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A searchable database of approximately 1,000 historical images from 14 collections at Duke University, focusing mainly on cities and towns in the American South from the late 19th century to the 1980s. Includes 41 aerial views taken by the U.S. Army Signal Corps in 1918 of towns in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina; 150 picture postcards of southern towns from the turn of the century to the 1960s; 22 photos of the 1886 earthquake in Charlotte, SC; 32 photographs taken in Savannah, GA around the turn of the century; 28 taken in Cheraw, SC, in the early 20th century; 112 shot in Durham, NC, from the turn of the century up to 1950; and 66 photos, taken mostly in Durham, for 18 Duke University undergraduate documentary photography projects created between 1979 and 1985. The site also includes a series of 97 photographs taken in Salem, MA, in the 1890s; 31 images from the Philippine Islands and other Far East locations taken between 1899 and 1902; and four series of 218 photographs by documentarist William Gedney taken in New York, San Francisco, and Benares, India. Especially of value for students of urban architecture and for those interested in images of southern street life.

Benjamin H. Marshall: Architect and Bon Vivant

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From the Chicago Amplified website:

"Benjamin H. Marshall's designs included vast country estates, palatial residential buildings, sumptuous hotels, and innovative high-rise structures. His circle included anyone with intelligence, style, and wit.

Benjamin Marshall Society docent and lecturer Steven Monz paints a portrait of the architect and highlights several of his projects in Chicago, including residential buildings along East Lake Shore Drive, and the Drake and Blackstone Hotels."

New York State Civilian Conservation Corps Museum

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Photo, Sawing ice off of Gilbert Lake to be stored in the Ice House...
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In the aftermath of the Great Depression, the federal government developed many programs designed to ease unemployment and put people back to work. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was one of these federal programs and this site was created as an introduction to the significant role the Corps played in the development of New York State's Gilbert Lake State Park. From 1933 to 1941, CCC Company 212, SP-11, lived and worked at Gilbert Lake. Those unfamiliar with the park should read the 1,300-word essay about Gilbert Lake and its accompanying 1,400-word essay, History of the CCC at Gilbert Lake, about the contribution of the CCC to the park.

The center of this otherwise simple exhibit is the more than 150 photographs. They include pictures of young men swimming in the lake, enjoying sack races, and building the camp. Visitors will also find recent photographs of the camp, including a 1999 restoration project of one of the park's cabin. The site is rounded out by three donated letters from people with memories about the CCC at Gilbert Lake and those interested will find the 40-item bibliography useful.

The Civil War Draft Riots

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From the Bowery Boys website:

"The week of July 13, 1863, was indeed among the most dangerous weeks to be a New Yorker. The announcement of conscription to replenish Union troops—and the inclusion of that incendiary $300 exemption fee—fell upon jaded ears, and as the draft lottery neared, some New Yorkers planned to rebel.

We take you through all four hellish days of deplorable violence and appalling attacks on black New Yorkers, abolitionists, Republicans, wealthy citizens, and anybody standing in the way of blind anger. Mobs filled the streets, destroying businesses (from corner stores to Brooks Brothers) and threatening to throw the city into permanent chaos. Listen in as we tell you how the this violence changed the city forever."