Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library

Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library The Norman B. Leventhal Map Center at the Boston Public Library is dedicated to the creative educati
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Leventhal Map Center at the Boston Public Library is a nonprofit organization established as a public-private partnership between the Library and philanthropist Norman Leventhal. Its mission is to use the collection of 200,000 maps and 5,000 atlases for the enjoyment and education of all through exhibitions, educational programs, and a website that includes more than 3,700 digitized maps. The map

collection is global in scope, dating from the 15th century to the present, with a particular strength in maps and atlases from the New England region, American Revolutionary War period, nautical charts, and world urban centers. The Leventhal Map Center is located on the first floor of the Library’s historic McKim Building in Copley Square. It includes an exhibition gallery that features changing thematic exhibitions, a public learning center with research books, and a reading room for rare map research. Other elements include a world globe three feet in diameter and a Kids Map Club with map puzzles, books and activities. Educational programs for students in grades K to 12 are offered to school groups on site and in the classroom. More than 100 lesson plans based on national standards are available on the website, and professional development programs for teachers are scheduled regularly throughout the year. The Leventhal Map Center is ranked among the top ten in the United States for the size of its collection, the significance of its historic (pre-1900) material, and its advanced digitization program. It is unique among the major collections because it also combines these features with exceptional educational programs to advance geographic literacy among students in grades K to 12 and enhance the teaching of subjects from history to mathematics to language arts. The collection is also the second largest in the country located in a public library, ensuring unlimited access to these invaluable resources for scholars, educators, and the general public.

Have you heard about the lost continent of Lemuria? In the mid-1800s, a handful of scientists theorized about a lost lan...
08/27/2023

Have you heard about the lost continent of Lemuria? In the mid-1800s, a handful of scientists theorized about a lost landmass that once stretched across the southern Indian Ocean. Shaped like a triangle, Lemuria was said to have touched India’s southern point, southern Africa, and western Australia, and was home to enormous “Lemurians” with four legs.

[Image description: World map. Transparent red landmass shapes cover parts of North and South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia. Transparent blue landmass shapes cover parts of Greenland, Iceland, and Russia.]

W. Scott-Elliot, “Lemuria at its greatest extent,” (London: Theosophical Publishing Society, 1904). https://bit.ly/47q0p5V

Our exhibition gallery is closed through September 8 while we install our new exhibition Getting Around Town: Mapping Fo...
08/24/2023

Our exhibition gallery is closed through September 8 while we install our new exhibition Getting Around Town: Mapping Four Centuries of Boston in Transit, which opens September 9. Learn more at https://www.leventhalmap.org/exhibitions/.

How did early transit maps take form? By the mid-1860s, Boston had a distinct need for maps that coherently represented ...
08/23/2023

How did early transit maps take form? By the mid-1860s, Boston had a distinct need for maps that coherently represented multiple modes and routes of transit around the city. Responding to this need, Cambridge-based civil engineer, J. G, Chase, produced Boston’s first public transit “system maps” in 1865, one of which is shown here. It zooms in on Boston, Charlestown, South Boston, East Boston, Cambridge, Somerville, and Brookline, labels intercity railway lines, and employs a different color for each streetcar system: red for Metropolitan, green for Cambridge, blue for Middlesex, dashed blue for Broadway, and dashed green for Lynn & Boston. It also notes churches, public schools, public buildings, and railroad stations.

🚇 Getting Around Town: Four Centuries of Mapping Boston in Transit opens September 9, 2023 in our free gallery at Central Library in Copley Square. The exhibition is guest curated by Steven Beaucher, the author of the book Boston in Transit () and the owner of in Cambridge. Learn more at https://bit.ly/3rQhw0g.



[Image description: Map depicting Cambridge, Boston and Chelsea. Indicates railroads and streetcar lines, and labels public institutions.]

J. G. Chase, “Railroad map of all street and steam railroads in Boston and vicinity,” (Boston: J.H. Bufford, 1865). https://bit.ly/4767FDE

Where would you choose to visit in the Land of Make Believe? 🧚 🐉 🧜This fantasy map takes inspiration from over 60 nurser...
08/21/2023

Where would you choose to visit in the Land of Make Believe? 🧚 🐉 🧜

This fantasy map takes inspiration from over 60 nursery rhymes, fairytales and children’s stories. We see familiar figures like the cow jumping over the moon, Jack climbing the Bean Stalk, the Emerald City of Oz, the house that belongs to Grandfather Know-All, Hansel and Gretel and the Gingerbread House, to name just a few.

[Image description: Fantasy map populated by figures from nursery rhymes, fairy tales and children's books.]

Jaro J. Hess, “The land of make believe,” (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Published by the Child's Wonderland Co., 1935). https://bit.ly/47m5SKR

Can you find your  branch library on this recently-digitized 1973 map of library districts? Circles are used to indicate...
08/19/2023

Can you find your branch library on this recently-digitized 1973 map of library districts? Circles are used to indicate branch services, while a triangle is used to indicate the Central Library in Copley Square. 📚 📚

[Image description: Map of Boston. Includes names of streets. Circle symbols are used to mark branch libraries. Triangle symbol is used to mark main library. Some manuscript color outlining of neighborhoods.

Boston Redevelopment Authority, “Library districts,” (Boston: Boston Redevelopment Authority, 1973). https://bit.ly/3KvtqDa

We have a new batch of additions to our Digital Collections portal! Among the recently-digitized maps is this early twen...
08/17/2023

We have a new batch of additions to our Digital Collections portal! Among the recently-digitized maps is this early twentieth-century bird’s-eye view of Canobie Lake Park in Salem, New Hampshire. In 1902, the Hudson, Pelham & Salem Railways (HP&S) opened Canobie Lake Park as a means of generating additional business for its new trolley line to Salem. In its early years, the park was known for its flower gardens, promenades and gentle attractions like canoeing, sporting events, the Circle Swing, picnics, and the Penny Arcade.

[image description: Aerial view of Canobie Lake Park looking from the north toward Canobie Lake and Merrimack Valley in the distance.]

Walker Lith. & Pub. Co., “Canobie Lake Park, Salem N.H.,” (Haverhill, Mass.; Boston: Massachusetts Northeastern Street Ry. Co., 1912). https://bit.ly/3OojNri

We’re so excited to share that we’ve just been awarded an  Digital Humanities Advancement Grant to make digital map coll...
08/16/2023

We’re so excited to share that we’ve just been awarded an Digital Humanities Advancement Grant to make digital map collections more accessible! Over the next three years, we’ll be working with , Bert Spaan, and Jules Schoonman—plus many others—to build new features for Allmaps, a free and open-source platform for georeferencing scanned maps.

Allmaps uses modern web technology—lik IIIF protocol—to warp scanned maps entirely in a web browser. Instead of downloading GIS software and large image files, you can get started georeferencing by simply pasting a URL into the Allmaps platform.

In the coming months, we’ll focus on making it easier for map-holding institutions both small and large to incorporate Allmaps into their collections. Not only will users be able to easily georeference maps online, but they’ll be able to crowdsource, create, and curate their own collections of maps across different collections.

Follow us for more updates at https://www.leventhalmap.org/subscribe/!

08/15/2023

Press Release NEH Announces $41.3 Million for 280 Humanities Projects Nationwide Grant awards support new NEH American Tapestry projects related to climate change and technology, as well as collaborative and individual humanities research, books, exhibitions, documentaries, and education programs Ph...

How did early Bostonians get around town? Public transportation for Boston is as old as the city itself. The Massachuset...
08/15/2023

How did early Bostonians get around town? Public transportation for Boston is as old as the city itself. The Massachusett people and other tribes in the region utilized natural waterways and ancient footpaths, known as “traces.” European settlers built upon existing networks of canoeable waters, portages between waterways, and countless miles of traces, documented on this 1634 map by William Woods.

🚇 Getting Around Town: Four Centuries of Mapping Boston in Transit opens September 9, 2023 in our free gallery at Central Library in Copley Square. The exhibition is guest curated by Steven Beaucher, the author of the book Boston in Transit () and the owner of in Cambridge. Learn more at https://bit.ly/3rQhw0g.



[Image description: Excerpt of early map of Massachusetts. The coast and waterways are exaggerated. Includes labels for areas and illustrations of trees.]

William Wood, “The south part of New England, as it planted this yeare, 1634,” (London, 1634). https://bit.ly/3QfiCwN

Are you a university teacher who would like to bring geographic inquiry into your classroom—or bring your classroom to t...
08/14/2023

Are you a university teacher who would like to bring geographic inquiry into your classroom—or bring your classroom to the Leventhal Center—in the 2023–2024 academic year? Join us tomorrow and Wednesday for a virtual drop-in session where our curatorial team will answer questions about how we support teaching and learning at the university level.

Curricular areas which are particularly well suited for collaborative learning with the Leventhal Center include:

• historical geography and environmental history
• urban history and urban studies
• history of science and technology
• American studies
• local and regional history of Boston and New England
• GIS and geospatial methods
• critical cartography
• digital humanities
• media studies

No pre-registration is required and you can join the session at this Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81485008123

08/14/2023

How did the rise of commercial dining deepen social fragmentation in 19th-century Boston? Join us on Monday, August 14 at 12:00PM EDT with Dr. Kelly Erby for a virtual talk on her book, Restaurant Republic: The Rise of Public Dining in Boston.

Before the 1820s, the vast majority of Americans ate only at home. As the nation began to urbanize and industrialize, home and work became increasingly divided, resulting in new forms of commercial dining. Restaurant Republic sheds light on how commercial dining both reflected and helped shape growing fragmentation along lines of race, class, and gender—from the elite Tremont House, which served fashionable French cuisine, to such plebeian and ethnic venues as oyster saloons and Chinese chop suey houses.

Not sure which way is north? No worries — just phone a fish friend! 🐟[Image description: Map excerpt showing a yellow co...
08/11/2023

Not sure which way is north? No worries — just phone a fish friend! 🐟

[Image description: Map excerpt showing a yellow compass rose with red and green direction indicators and a fish drawn in the middle. A small boat is seen in the background.]

John Ross McDonald, “Cape Cod and the islands,” (Malden, Mass.: John Ross MacDonald, 1958). https://bit.ly/456WCrZ

🚇 Getting Around Town: Four Centuries of Mapping Boston in Transit opens in one month! Getting Around Town, the Leventha...
08/09/2023

🚇 Getting Around Town: Four Centuries of Mapping Boston in Transit opens in one month!

Getting Around Town, the Leventhal Center’s first-ever show focused on public transportation and mobility, brings together an extraordinary collection of maps, plans, ephemera, and other materials to investigate how Bostonians have moved around the city in the past, present, and future.

In the exhibition, visitors will explore the story of Boston’s evolving transit infrastructure and how it has shaped the city as we know it today. From the early days of horse-drawn carriages and streetcars to the modern-day subway system, the exhibition will showcase the innovative ideas and technological advances that have transformed Boston’s transportation landscape over the past four centuries.

Getting Around Town: Four Centuries of Mapping Boston in Transit opens September 9, 2023 in our free gallery at Central Library in Copley Square. The exhibition is guest curated by Steven Beaucher, the author of the book Boston in Transit () and the owner of in Cambridge. Learn more at https://bit.ly/3rQhw0g.

[Image description: Front cover of the 1962 Annual Report of the MTA. An illustrated orange bus faces the right side of the image. A blue and yellow subway faces the left side of the image.]

How did the rise of commercial dining deepen social fragmentation in 19th-century Boston? Join us on Monday, August 14 ...
08/07/2023

How did the rise of commercial dining deepen social fragmentation in 19th-century Boston? Join us on Monday, August 14 at 12:00 pm EDT with Dr. Kelly Erby for a virtual talk on her book, Restaurant Republic: The Rise of Public Dining in Boston.

Before the 1820s, the vast majority of Americans ate only at home. As the nation began to urbanize and industrialize, home and work became increasingly divided, resulting in new forms of commercial dining. Restaurant Republic sheds light on how commercial dining both reflected and helped shape growing fragmentation along lines of race, class, and gender—from the elite Tremont House, which served fashionable French cuisine, to such plebeian and ethnic venues as oyster saloons and Chinese chop suey houses

This talk presented in conjunction with our ongoing exhibition, Building Blocks: Boston Stories from Urban Atlases. The talk is free and open to the public. It will broadcast live to our page and YouTube channel. Registration is not required. If you would like to receive event reminders, please register here: https://bit.ly/46r8Z3B.

[Image description: Black and white wood engraving of a restaurant and bar scene.]

Charles Stanley Reinhard, The Lunch Counter (1873). https://bit.ly/3pvH8yB

We’ve just added some new summer-themed map reproductions to our online gift store, including maps of Cape Cod and the i...
08/06/2023

We’ve just added some new summer-themed map reproductions to our online gift store, including maps of Cape Cod and the islands, New England’s summer resorts, Boston parks, and Long Island. Use the code SUMMER-FUN at checkout to get 30% off your purchase of any map reproduction now through Labor Day: www.leventhalmap.org/store/

Take a look inside this early twentieth-century ice cream factory 🍦[Image description: Excerpt. Blueprint of the main bu...
08/05/2023

Take a look inside this early twentieth-century ice cream factory 🍦

[Image description: Excerpt. Blueprint of the main building of an ice cream factory. Includes plan of buildings, functions of building floors and rooms, and surroundings.]

Associated Factory Mutual Fire Insurance Companies, “National Dairy Products Corp. General Ice Cream Corp. New Bedford, Mass. [insurance map],” (1928). https://bit.ly/3OwFDdj

We’re excited to announce that four new Atlascope layers are hot off the georeferencing presses! Now, you can take a tou...
08/04/2023

We’re excited to announce that four new Atlascope layers are hot off the georeferencing presses! Now, you can take a tour through the winding roads of 1916 Watertown. When you’re done, check out out the industrial landscape of turn-of-the-century Malden. Afterwards, head to Salem and explore how the iconic city evolved between 1874 and 1911.

Want to see your city or town in Atlascope? Reach out to learn more about our Sponsor an Atlas program: https://www.leventhalmap.org/donate/sponsor-an-atlas/.

[Image description: Screenshot of Atlascope view of Watertown. Historic map overlaid on modern-day map of the same area.]

Looking to add more maps to your life? Join us for an afternoon of close map looking!This edition of From The Vault will...
08/03/2023

Looking to add more maps to your life? Join us for an afternoon of close map looking!

This edition of From The Vault will be curated by Ben Cosgrove, a traveling composer-performer whose “compelling and beautiful” instrumental music explores themes of landscape, place, and environment. Ben’s music will be performed live on Friday, August 11 at 12:30PM as part of the Concerts in the Courtyard Series. We’re thrilled to host Ben following the performance to talk through a handful of objects from our collections that relate to his work and themes of landscape, geography, and place.

Drop in any time between 2:00PM - 4:00PM. Learn more about Ben and his upcoming events at BPL at https://bit.ly/44GWwrr.

We could all use a bit more magic in our lives, right? Well, this month  Special Collections has you covered. Come on by...
08/01/2023

We could all use a bit more magic in our lives, right? Well, this month Special Collections has you covered. Come on by the Special Collections reading room this August to see some fairies, meet some old-timey magicians, and maybe even learn a magic trick or two!

Learn more and plan a visit: https://bit.ly/43HGGeU

[Image description: Digital collage of colorful maps, illustrations, cards, and news.]

Where’s your favorite swimming spot near Boston? ☀️ ⛱️ Walden Pond has long been a destination for summer swimming, hiki...
07/30/2023

Where’s your favorite swimming spot near Boston? ☀️ ⛱️

Walden Pond has long been a destination for summer swimming, hiking, and relaxation. Measuring 103 feet deep, Walden Pond is the deepest natural body of fresh water in the state.

[Image description: Pictorial map excerpt. Shows Walden Pond and surrounding areas. Includes pictorial trees, trains, people, boaters, homes, and more. Includes labels to sites of attraction.]

H. Bodley, “A map of Concord, the old Musketaquid Plantation,” (Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1928). https://bit.ly/3PUbV31

Looking for some weekend fun? Head to Revere Beach for the 19th Annual International Sand Sculpting Festival! Enjoy beau...
07/28/2023

Looking for some weekend fun? Head to Revere Beach for the 19th Annual International Sand Sculpting Festival! Enjoy beautiful sand sculptures, food trucks and vendors, live entertainment, and a Saturday Night Fireworks Extravaganza.

Revere Beach became the first public beach in the United States in 1896. Roughly 45,000 people attended its opening day on July 12, 1896. This weekend, Revere Beach will welcome over one million people for its three-day festivities!

[Image description: Pink index map of Revere. Includes labels for major streets and public attractions.]

George Washington Bromley and Walter Scott Bromley, “Atlas of the city of Chelsea and the towns of Revere & Winthrop, Massachusetts: from actual surveys and official plans,” (Philadelphia: G.W. Bromley and Co., 1914). https://bit.ly/44mg3gq

Ice Cream Island, where have you been all my life?! 😍 🍦 [Image description: Map excerpt. Close up showing Milford Mill P...
07/26/2023

Ice Cream Island, where have you been all my life?! 😍 🍦

[Image description: Map excerpt. Close up showing Milford Mill Pond and an island labelled “Ice Cream Island.”]

A. D. Byles, J. H. French, R. P. Smith’s Map Manufactory, and J. L. Skinner, “Map of Kent County, Delaware: from actual surveys,” (Philadelphia: Published by A.D. Byles, 1859). https://bit.ly/3PQH1sc from our friends at !

07/25/2023

What insights can be gained about the historical geographies of childhood from primary source material? What do maps—designed for or by children—reveal about the conditions, spaces, and places of childhood?

Join us on Tuesday, July 25 at 12:00M EDT with Dr. Meghan Cope for a virtual talk on the conditions and experiences of childhood in early 20th century New England.

We’re thrilled to join  Lower Mills Branch Library for a special edition of their Reading the LCC series! Reading the LC...
07/24/2023

We’re thrilled to join Lower Mills Branch Library for a special edition of their Reading the LCC series! Reading the LCC is a book group that explores the Library of Congress Classification system from Class A (General Works) to Class Z (Bibliography, Library Science). Unlike a traditional book club, readers are welcome to explore any title that interests you within the month’s category, and read as much or as little as you please. This month, Reading the LCC is reading nonfiction from the G Class, which includes Geography, Anthropology, and Recreation.

For inspiration and recommendations, check out the BPL_Reading the LCC: Class G booklist at https://bit.ly/44CoHHH.

Join us on Monday, July 31 1:00PM EDT at the Lower Mills Branch Library for this special edition reading group and discussion. Learn more at https://bit.ly/4394isw.

🛩️ American aviator Wiley Post completed the first solo flight around the world (in 7 days, 18 hours, and 50 minutes)   ...
07/22/2023

🛩️ American aviator Wiley Post completed the first solo flight around the world (in 7 days, 18 hours, and 50 minutes) in 1933. For the 15,596-mile journey, he flew the Winnie Mae, a Lockheed Vega monoplane equipped with an automatic pilot and a direction radio.

Post’s accomplishment is highlighted on this 1944 “story map of flying” by Ernest Dudley Chase.

[Image description: Excerpt of pictorial map. Close up of illustrated vignette showing an airplane in a cloud shape with text that reads “Wiley Post, first to fly solo around the world, left N.Y. July 15’33 & via Germany, Russia, Siberia & Alaska, was back in 7 days, 18 hrs & 50 min.”]

Ernest Dudley Chase, “The story map of flying: being a chronicle of man's conquest of the air,” (Wi******er, Massachusetts: Ernest Dudley Chase, 1944). https://bit.ly/3JSmU9w

That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind 🚀 🌝  Neil Armstrong became the first human to walk on the su...
07/20/2023

That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind 🚀 🌝 Neil Armstrong became the first human to walk on the surface of the moon at 10:56 p.m. in 1969.

This reference mosaic of the lunar earthside hemisphere is made up of photographs taken at the McDonald Observatory in Texas, Mount Wilson Observatory in California, and Pic Du Midi Observatory in France.

[Image description: Mosaicked image of the moon with labels.]

Aeronautical Chart and Information Center, “USAF lunar reference mosaic : LEM-1,” (• St. Louis, Mo. : Aeronautical Chart and Information Center, U.S. Air Force ; Washington, D.C. : For sale by the Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O., [1966]). https://bit.ly/43ucrbj

What insights can be gained about the historical geographies of childhood from primary source material? What do maps—des...
07/18/2023

What insights can be gained about the historical geographies of childhood from primary source material? What do maps—designed for or by children—reveal about the conditions, spaces, and places of childhood?

Join us on Tuesday, July 25 at 12:00M EDT with Meghan Cope for a virtual talk on the conditions and experiences of childhood in early 20th century New England.

This talk is presented in conjunction with our ongoing exhibition, *Building Blocks: Boston Stories from Urban Atlases*. It is free and open to the public. It will broadcast live to our page and YouTube channel. Learn more and register at: https://bit.ly/42Cxfgj.

[image description: Black and white photograph. Five children hold onto lines of rope attached to the spinning wheel-like contraption atop the pole. Buildings are seen in the background.]

N. Y. Playground (1910-1915). https://www.loc.gov/item/2014693976/

Do you know the history of Boston’s ?  🦢 🚣In 1877, a man named Robert Paget introduced a catamaran-style boat to the Pub...
07/16/2023

Do you know the history of Boston’s ? 🦢 🚣

In 1877, a man named Robert Paget introduced a catamaran-style boat to the Public Garden lagoon. It could accommodate more passengers than the typical rowboat, was foot-propelled like a bicycle, and covered by a tent-like apparatus. The captain’s seat at the back of the boat was designed as a swan—an idea that came from the opera Lohengrin, a medieval German story in which a knight crosses a river in a boat drawn by a swan to defend the innocence of his heroine. The current fleet of Swan Boats consists of six boats, the oldest of which was built in 1910!

[Image description: Map excerpt showing a pictorial view of Boston’s Public Garden. Includes an illustration of a swan boat and two swans.]

Griswold Tyng, “Map of Boston Common: with surrounding streets & adjacent parts of Beacon Hill,” (Boston: Little, Brown, & Co., 1934). https://bit.ly/43bUvSu

Everyone feels a little unsure of themselves at times, even Lake (or Pond 🤪) Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. [Image desc...
07/14/2023

Everyone feels a little unsure of themselves at times, even Lake (or Pond 🤪) Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire.

[Image description: Map excerpt showing Lake Winnipesaukee and Winnipesaukee River. Text in the lake reads “Winnipesaukee Pond or Lake.”]

George Mitchell and W. H. Toms, “A PLAN of the Rivers and Boundary Lines referr'd to in ye Proceedings & Judgment of ye Commissioners for adjusting the Bounds between the Massachusetts Bay and New Hampshire,” ([London]: Engrav'd by W. H. Toms in Union Court Holborn, 1739). https://bit.ly/46DltFk

What’s your favorite place for summer rest and relaxation? For last week’s edition of From The Vault, we looked at objec...
07/12/2023

What’s your favorite place for summer rest and relaxation? For last week’s edition of From The Vault, we looked at objects from our collection that map places of summer R&R. Check out some highlights here: https://bit.ly/3PKViXw

[Image description: Map excerpt. Pictorial scene of people in a pond swimming, fishing, boating, tubing, and lounging.]

Don Bloodgood, “Ask Shell!” ([United States] : Shell Touring Service, [1948-1955]). https://bit.ly/3PRJjXY

07/11/2023

What was Boston’s West End like in the 19th and 20th centuries? What schools and churches were around? Were any industries based in the area? Join the Leventhal Map & Education Center with the West End Museum and West End Branch Library for a virtual deep dive into the historical geography of the area. Come learn about how the community has changed over time, and discover how to research the history of your own house and neighborhood.

Summertime and the livin' is easy 😎 Where’s your favorite beach in New England? [Image description: Map excerpt. Black a...
07/10/2023

Summertime and the livin' is easy 😎 Where’s your favorite beach in New England?

[Image description: Map excerpt. Black and white pictorial map. Includes illustrations of buildings, a baseball field with spectators, beachfront buildings, a pier, sail boat, and people swimming in the ocean.]

J. J. Stoner, “Bird's eye view of the town of Nantucket in the State of Massachusetts,” (Madison, Wis: J.J. Stoner, 1881). https://bit.ly/4301n56

Sumner Tunnel, we miss you already 😢This pictorial map of Boston was published around the same time as the tunnel’s open...
07/08/2023

Sumner Tunnel, we miss you already 😢

This pictorial map of Boston was published around the same time as the tunnel’s opening in 1934.

[Image description: Excerpt of pictorial map of Boston. Main streets are labelled and plotted in red. Include descriptive text and color illustrations of historical scenes.

“Boston, Massachusetts,” (Boston, Mass., 1935-1945). https://bit.ly/43hdYRL

How did the rise of commercial dining deepen social fragmentation in 19th-century Boston? Join us on Monday, August 14 ...
07/06/2023

How did the rise of commercial dining deepen social fragmentation in 19th-century Boston? Join us on Monday, August 14 at 12:00PM EDT with Dr. Kelly Erby for a virtual talk on her book, Restaurant Republic: The Rise of Public Dining in Boston.

Before the 1820s, the vast majority of Americans ate only at home. As the nation began to urbanize and industrialize, home and work became increasingly divided, resulting in new forms of commercial dining. *Restaurant Republic* sheds light on how commercial dining both reflected and helped shape growing fragmentation along lines of race, class, and gender—from the elite Tremont House, which served fashionable French cuisine, to such plebeian and ethnic venues as oyster saloons and Chinese chop suey houses

This talk presented in conjunction with our ongoing exhibition, Building Blocks: Boston Stories from Urban Atlases. The talk is free and open to the public. It will broadcast live to our page and YouTube channel. Registration is not required. If you would like to receive event reminders, please register here: https://bit.ly/46r8Z3B.

Happy Fourth of July!! 🎉 🎉  This view of Victorian Boston documents the 1870 Independence Day celebration. Note cannon s...
07/04/2023

Happy Fourth of July!! 🎉 🎉

This view of Victorian Boston documents the 1870 Independence Day celebration. Note cannon smoke coming from harbor island fortifications and a military re-enactment on Boston Common.

[Image description: Map excerpt. Bird’s eye view of Boston. Positioned above the Charles River looking toward the harbor and Atlantic. Includes pictorial depictions of buildings, people, green space, and urban landscape.]

F. Fuchs, “View of Boston, July 4th 1870,” (Philadelphia: John Weik, 1870). https://bit.ly/3blwAL2

What was Boston’s West End like in the 19th and 20th centuries? What schools and churches were around? Were any industri...
07/03/2023

What was Boston’s West End like in the 19th and 20th centuries? What schools and churches were around? Were any industries based in the area? Join us on Tuesday, July 11 at 12:00PM EDT with the and West End Branch Library for a virtual deep dive into the historical geography of the area. Come learn about how the community has changed over time, and discover how to research the history of your own house and neighborhood.

This talk is free and open to the public. It will broadcast live to our page and YouTube channel. Register for free at https://bit.ly/3XoJ60a.

This photograph captures the West End Branch Library in the early 1900s. The building was once used as the Old West Church but was converted for library use in 1896.

[Image description: Black and white photograph of narrow street lined with brick buildings. West Church appears at the end of the street.]

West End Branch, Boston Public Library (1920-1940). https://bit.ly/3NNnXJW.

Come get into the summer mindset with  Special Collections! Whether it’s heading to the beach, taking in a baseball game...
07/01/2023

Come get into the summer mindset with Special Collections! Whether it’s heading to the beach, taking in a baseball game, or loading up the car for a family road trip, there’s nothing quite like spirit of summer. Select items that spotlight Summer Fun will be on view for the month of July in the Special Collections reading room—no appointment necessary. Items include: Automobile Map of New England Showing the Ideal Tour (1925); Other Sandy Cove Stories (1931); An Impression of Summer: A Landscape Panorama (1966); A sixteenth-century treatise on swimming techniques; and a selection of photographs of baseball legends Jackie Robinson and Satchel Paige in Boston.

Visit at https://bit.ly/3pdIHRG for more information.

[Image description: Collage. Objects include: Two black and white photographs, a black and white map, an illustrated picture book, black and white illustrated nature scene, and a colorful photograph of the ocean.]

🎉 We’re excited to announce that we’ve added five new atlas layers across three towns to Atlascope, extending coverage t...
06/30/2023

🎉 We’re excited to announce that we’ve added five new atlas layers across three towns to Atlascope, extending coverage to Dover, Hull, and Lynn! 🎉

In our view, urban atlases aren’t just excellent resources for discovering concrete facts about historical geography (though they certainly are that—possibly no other resource provides the same level of accessibility and granularity). Beyond that, these atlases provide jumping-off points for telling new stories about the world around us. Read more and explore the new atlas layers at http://bit.ly/3Xu60n7. Let us know what interesting things you find!

Want to see your town in Atlascope? We’re continuing work this summer and fall to add dozens more Massachusetts towns to Atlascope. However, we need help from you and your communities to make this happen. Transforming a single town atlas from printed pages into a modern, readable web-layer is both costly and time-consuming, taking dozens of hours of skilled staff labor. We are currently fundraising to support the labor it takes to transform and ingest each physical atlas into Atlascope for usage and discovery. If you’d like to see your town in Atlascope, and you know institutions, groups, or community members who’d like to help gather the funding to support this, please visit https://www.leventhalmap.org/donate/sponsor-an-atlas/ for more information.

The Harlem Cultural Festival began   in 1969 in New York City. Over the course of six Sundays, the festival showcased a ...
06/29/2023

The Harlem Cultural Festival began in 1969 in New York City. Over the course of six Sundays, the festival showcased a diverse range of talented Black artists spanning blues, R&B, rock, gospel, jazz, soul, and funk—including B.B. King, Mongo Santamaría, Babatunde Olatunji, David Ruffin, the Chambers Brothers, Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Chuck Jackson and more.

Despite its success, the festival is often overshadowed by Woodstock in collective memory. For footage of the festival, check out Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s documentary, Summer of Soul (2021).

This atlas plate from the collections at details the site of the festival, Mount Morris Park, roughly 50 year prior.

[Image description: New York City Atlas plate bounded by W. 127th, E. 127th, Park Ave, E. 122nd, W. 122nd, and Lenox Ave. Buildings are shaded in pink for brick and yellow for wood-frame. Includes labels for street name, street number, and levels. Northern half of Mount Morris Park is pictured in the middle of the map.]

G. W. Bromley & Co., "Bounded by W. 127th Street, E. 127th Street, Park Avenue, E. 124th Street (Mount Morris Park), W. 124th Street and Lenox Avenue,” (1914). https://bit.ly/3qXPkIr

Can you count on you to plan for the future? Help us reach our $10,000 goal by Friday by giving a small donation and wri...
06/28/2023

Can you count on you to plan for the future? Help us reach our $10,000 goal by Friday by giving a small donation and write in the comments what new programs you want to see from us! We’re picking 2 random donors to win a map gift in the mail! http://leventhalmap.org/donate

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Join critical cartographer Alex B. Hill for an informal conversation with the Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library! We'll discuss how Hill has used maps and digital info to highlight the social issues of Detroit, and how mapping is crucial for understanding the history of cities.

Learn more & register: http://ow.ly/XBZ250I9fuP
Learn about media literacy in the historical & cartographic landscape at our lecture next Thursday with the Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library! 🗺️ We’ll uncover inaccuracies, dive into issues of viral misinformation, and review methods of map interpretation.

Learn more & register: http://ow.ly/XNbH50I4kNy
Learn about the history of Upper Roxbury's changing names and boundaries in our virtual talk next Wednesday with the Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library & BU's Initiative on Cities!

Learn more & register: http://ow.ly/b9un50I4j0P
Check out the conversation with Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library, The Graduate Center, CUNY, and La Colaborativa. We talked about how democratizing access to data, collaboration with State Representative Mike Moran and Will Brownsberger, and partnership with 60+ organizations in Drawing Democracy made some redistricting magic happen! Learn more by watching the conversation.
Did you know Boston was once home to a thriving confectionery industry? 🍬 Learn more about the city's history of candy-making just in time for Valentine's Day by reading this The Boston Globe article from the Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library.

Read more: http://ow.ly/auec50HUEZP
Join an online discussion of redistricting, digital mapping tools, and organizing efforts locally and nationally! The Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library and Massachusetts Voter Table will speak with representatives from The Graduate Center, CUNY and Boston-based nonprofit La Colaborativa.

Learn more & register: http://ow.ly/kbAU50HR6uL
Exploring the north side of Beacon Hill, two maps could be compared: the ancient community and its prominent exponents compared with the modern one where active intellectuals lived in recent times ... A map halfway between geography and social.
Once a search area has been defined, the ancient map could have as its central point the area at 71 Joy Street. This property is located on the north slope of Beacon Hill.
While the South Slope was known as the home of Boston's wealthiest residents since the early 19th century,
the North Slope had been the home of Boston's black community members
as early as the mid-18th century. I thought of Joy Street 71 because archaeological investigations revealed a site where historically interesting people lived including an abolitionist and minister (and Roberts' brother-in-law) named Hosea Easton.
Easton is an interesting character himself.xploring the North Slope of Beacon Hill one could make a story starting from its past, revealed by archaeological investigations, up to its current urban development.
The search could start at 71 Joy Street. This property is located on the North Slope of Beacon Hill.
While the South Slope was known as the home of the wealthiest
residents of Boston starting in the early 19th century,
the North Slope had been home to members of Boston's Black community
as early as the mid-18th century. An abolitionist and minister (and brother-in-law to Roberts) named Hosea Easton lived there ... Easton is an interesting character himself.
Today's featured image from our collections is a 1785 "Plan of the Indian Plantation" drawn by Gideon Hawley, a missionary minister to the Mashpee Wampanoag from 1758-1807. This manuscript map reveals a snapshot of the complex relationship between people, land, and community. We encourage you learn more about the history of land dispossession at the links below and consider the ways in which the legacy of colonization is still reverberating in land rights disputes today.

Interactive Map: http://ow.ly/oamE50GRTVe
America Transformed Exhibit: http://ow.ly/xBUk50GRTVc

📷: The Land of the Mashpee
Gideon Hawley, 1785
Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library
See the American Revolution through different perspectives at our 10/26 lecture with award-winning historian Kathleen DuVal! Based on her book Independence Lost (Penguin Random House), DuVal will take us on a journey through geographies of the Revolution we don't often see. Presented in partnership with the Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library.

Learn more & register: http://ow.ly/wmhO50GwwXF
Guggenheim fellow Reece Jones argues that immigration laws in the US have always been motivated by racial exclusion in his book White Borders (Beacon Press). Join our author talk with him on Wednesday to learn more about the history of American immigration law, presented in partnership with the Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library & the State Library of Massachusetts.

Learn more & register: http://ow.ly/caFi50GwwyO
Check out our exhibit by the Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library, opening today! "Bending Lines" shows how maps and data visualization can bend the lines of reality based on the institutions or contexts they serve.

Drop by any time during the Map Center's hours to view the exhibit yourself, and learn more about guided tours: http://ow.ly/Y7tG50G7HBS
We invite you to join us for the Monday Map Lunch Series! Each month scholars and practitioners from near and far will share their current endeavors in an informal (Zoom) environment with plenty of time for a robust Q&A session.

The Monday Map Lunch Series kicks off with a presentation by Garrett Dash Nelson, President and Head Curator at the Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library, at 12:00 PM on September 13, 2021. In conjunction with the opening of the physical exhibit "Bending Lines: Maps and Data from Distortion to Deception", Garrett will present Don’t Believe Me On This: Engaging With Truth and Skepticism Through Maps & Data.

This event will be presented on Zoom and tickets are limited to the first 95 registrants. All events in the Monday Map Lunch Series are free and open to the public. Use the link in our bio to register!

Garrett Dash Nelson is a historical geographer whose work focuses on the relationship between community structure, geographic units, and political ideology. He holds an AB from Harvard College in Social Studies and Visual & Environmental Studies, an MA from the University of Nottingham in Landscape & Culture, and a PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Geography.

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