Highway Map & Guide of Pennsylvania

Hit the roads of Pennsylvania with this interesting guide – part of an early ‘Nation-Wide Map Service.’

“Progress has been made…Through the untiring efforts of the Mid-West Map Company these highways have been charted and mapped until maps of all states are now available for every one. Maps, during the building of our country would have saved many lives and thousands of dollars; and today, Mid-West Map Company’s maps are an indispensable part of the travelers equipment. With them you may tour the entire United States with the same ease you find in going from your home to your office.” [back cover]

The Mid-West Map Company of Aurora, Missouri began issuing maps in the late 1920s to promote the products of oil companies who sponsored their publication. This would soon develop into broader efforts to create a ‘Nation-Wide Map Service’ that provided free informational road maps to motor tourists across the contiguous United States.

This example shows the highway network across Pennsylvania during the early 1930s. A variety of road surfaces and categories are noted according to the legend in the lower center, with the road signs for both State and U.S. Interstate Highways shown in the negative space of the map. Other blank areas are occupied by advertisements for hotels, garages, Hershey Park, the Chester Bridgeport Ferry, and Historic Indian Cave. Tourist camps and towns in which Nation-Wide Map Service guides can be found are also identified throughout the image with boxes and stars, respectively. The verso provides a detailed index of the towns and the businesses in which the guides can be acquired.