Scarborough’s Road Map and Motor Guide of Indiana

Comprehensive 1914 guide to the road system of the Hoosier State.

This fascinating relic from the early days of automobile tourism was published in Indianapolis by The Scarborough Company in 1914. Its voluminous pages provide a descriptive itinerary of nearly every road across the entire state of Indiana. The myriad of individual narratives provides turn-by-turn directions for over 900 separate routes (classified as trips). An index and key map are provided to aid the traveler in finding the appropriate departure and destination. Information on road surfaces, summaries of motor laws, details on terrain, motorist’s amenities (e.g., garages, auto camps, etc.), local landmarks, and much more are also provided in the logs.

Contemporary advertisements are scattered throughout the pages – undoubtedly, the financial support was necessary for the tremendous effort required to put together such a detailed publication. Seven folding maps of Indiana, dividing the state into horizontal strips, provide accompanying cartographic references. These show roads of varying quality, from simple dirt lanes to the paved and highly recommended ‘Star Routes.’ An eighth double-sided folding map shows a detailed street plan of Indianapolis.