Geographical, Statistical, and Historical Map of Maine

Early map of Maine which includes disputed territorial claims in the northern parts of the state.

This detailed map of Maine was published just a handful of years after it was admitted as the 23rd state, in 1820, as part of the Missouri Compromise. Finely applied hand color delineates the individual counties, and expansive configurations in the north reflect the sparse regional settlement. Accompanying text reinforces this backwoods composition, claiming “the northern half of the state is yet uninhabited; and almost unexplored.”

Questions over the ownership claims of these unsurveyed lands would persist between the United States and Britain, eventually leading to the “Aroostook War” of 1838. This bloodless conflict led to the Webster–Ashburton Treaty of 1842, which permanently finalized the boundary lines and reduced the size of Maine from that seen here. In addition to the political organization, the map also labels prominent geographic features and features a flag at the sites of historic battles and sieges.

Surrounding the image are numerous blocks of text providing contemporary information on the history, geography, industry, and climate of the state. Engraved by J. Yeager, the map was published as sheet number 10 in the 1827 edition of Carey & Lea’s Complete Historical, Chronological, and Geographical American Atlas.

This important American publication was issued in six separate editions and three different languages between 1822 and 1827. It was heavily influenced by an earlier European atlas by Emmanuel Las Cases (published under the pseudonym A. Lesage.), which inspired the format of a base map surrounded by blocks of informative text and tables of statistics.

Henry Carey, a political economist and the son of prominent publisher Matthew Carey, and his brother-in-law Isaac Lea incorporated this novel theme into their atlas, which focused entirely on the countries of the Western Hemisphere. It was issued at a time of tremendous political change in both North and South America, and the detailed maps accompanied by extensive text provide a unique, often insightful, perspective on the problems and possibilities of the Americas in the first quarter of the 19th century.

Wheat, C. I. (2004). Mapping the Transmississippi West: 1540-1861. Mansfield Centre (CT): Martino Publishing. #348

Egli, L. G., & Phillips, P. L. (1974). A list of geographical atlases in the Library of Congress. Washington: Library of Congress. #1373