The First County Maps Of Pennsylvania
"Based upon actual county surveys, the Melish-Whiteside maps were the first official set of county maps produced for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Township lines, municipality names, and roads and distances are examples of the details present on each survey. In addition, structures such as post offices, factories, mills, mines, furnaces, forges, houses, churches, academies, and taverns are noted, as are the names of property owners for certain taverns, dwellings, furnaces, and mills.
The maps were the result of the work of John Melish, a geographer, traveler, and entrepreneur who convinced the Pennsylvania legislature to fund this ambitious cartographic project. Under enabling legislation passed on March 19, 1816, a number of deputy surveyors spread out across the Commonwealth.
Over the ensuing years, these surveyors would produce maps for each county, which could then be assembled into a full and accurate map of the state. The deputy surveyors handed over their completed maps to the surveyor general, who in turn sent the maps to Melish for copying and engraving. But before these maps were delivered, a clerk made an office copy of the original.
The first clerk to execute these copies was named John Whiteside, and since his signature appears on these versions, they have become known as the “Whiteside Maps” (several copies were also rendered by a Dan Small). Melish submitted his completed Pennsylvania map to the legislature in March 1822, which overwhelmingly approved his work, claiming the map was “an exquisite specimen of graphic skill,” and well worth the $29,276.75 spent on the project.
The maps, as stated above, provide the researcher with a wealth of information on early settlements, industries, transportation networks, and dwellings. These are some of the earliest Pennsylvania county maps in existence, and in addition to their utility, have been very accurately and attractively rendered. "
Lycoming County
Many historians consider John Melish to be the first truly great American commercial cartographer and responsible for some of the most influential maps in the history of North America.
Often referred to as the "Whiteside Maps", John Whiteside was the first clerk to make office copies of the maps. John Melish was the cartographer who drew the maps, based on the maps and notes made by deputy surveyors.
John Melish (1771-1822) was born in Scotland. He moved to the West Indies in 1798 and then to the United States in 1806. Melish spent the next several years living and traveling primarily in the American South. In 1811, he settled in Philadelphia and focused on the publication of maps.
"As a young man he apprenticed to a Glasgow cotton merchant and in this capacity visited America no less than four times between 1798 and 1809. In 1806 Melish attempted to create his own cotton important-export company based in Glasgow, Scotland and Savannah, Georgia. Unfortunately, deteriorating relations between the United States and Great Britain resulted in the 1807 trade embargo, which all but destroyed Melish's fledgling company.
No comments:
Post a Comment
I'll read the comments and approve them to post as soon as I can! Thanks for stopping by!