Scope and Contents

The subject category-maps contain materials dealing with maps and map-making. There are materials from companies such as business cards, invoices, and correspondence. The bulk of the materials are maps. There are a number of maps from the United States in the form of both road maps and state maps. There are a number of World Maps as well both as whole world maps and individual continents and countries. The collection also consists of several Atlases and other general information. Researchers looking for historical maps will find this information very useful.

Company papers are of those involved in the development, publication, distribution and sale of maps. Materials include business cards, advertising brochures and circulars, receipts, catalogues, and invoices. There is also several correspondences. Most deal with requests for changes in preparation for updated publications while others involve account payment concerns. There is one correspondence regarding a political meeting of the Progressives (1912). Several of the correspondence from various companies is to the Riehle Bros. There is also an undated Rand, McNally & Co. display kit in one of the oversize folders. The bulk of the materials are from the mid- to late-19th century. The vast majority of the companies were based in New York but there were others in Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, and Hartford as well as Ohio, West Virginia, New Jersey, and Westfield, Massachusetts. One company had offices in several different states across the eastern half of the United States. There is also a company in Scotland and one in London. The material is arranged alphabetically by the company name with the last 2 folders being miscellaneous and import/export documents.

United States maps contains road maps and others are historical. The bulk of the maps are from the 1770s and the 1920s. There are a number of materials in this series located in Oversize and Map Case Folders. The U.S. materials have been grouped together in those folders.

The road maps grouping is United States centric and are primarily from the early 20th century. Materials include tour books, road guides, auto road maps, and auto trails maps. Some include directions and mileage charts. They are arranged alphabetically according to the state or region. Maps that could not be placed with a single state or region are at the end of the series in a "general" category. Some of the maps were published by such companies as AAA, U.S. Survey Company, Gulf Refining Company, and Rand, McNally and Company.

State maps include engravings that are primarily historical in context. The bulk of these materials are from the 1770s. Many of them are from "Dr. Gordon's History of the American War". Materials also include general U.S. maps and books. They are arranged alphabetically according to the state or region. Maps that could not be placed with a single state or region are at the end of the series in a "general" category. Those materials are arranged chronologically where possible.

Most of the World maps are historical engravings. The vast majority of the materials are undated. However, many of them appear to be from the same source and a few of those are noted to be from the 1750s. Materials are arranged alphabetically according to the country or continent with a group of "general" folders at the end of the series.

Atlas books are from various sources. All dated books are from the 1800s. They are arranged chronologically for the U.S. publications with foreign books following and a miscellaneous folder at the end of the series.

General information has a variety of formats and topics such as geography lessons, a listing of topographical maps available from the U.S. Geological Survey, a list of conventional signs and abbreviations in use on French and German maps, catalogues of old and rare maps, and a publication for map collectors. There is also a miscellaneous folder including a postcard with a map of Cripple Creek District, Colorado, a business card of a hydrographer in New York, a chart comparing the height of mountains and the size of cities (ca.1850), an engraving called "The Artificial Sphere" which includes information such as the poles, meridian, and horizon, and a request from the U.S. Geological survey for information in preparation for production of a U.S. map. Included in the oversize materials are 2 drawn survey maps of S.B. Seaman's Platt. The location of this property is otherwise unidentified. There is also a book in the oversize materials called "The Rare Map of the Northwest 1785" by John Fitch – a Bibliographical Account by P. Lee Phillips published in 1916. Materials are arranged according to subject.

Materials in the Archives Center

Archives Center Collection of Business Americana (AC0404)

Forms Part Of

Forms part of the Warshaw Collection of Business Americana.