1846 Bradford Map of Florida

This is an 1846 Thomas Bradford map of Florida two years after statehood. It illustrates early land grants, Florida's first railroad, and the remnants of the Second Seminole War (1835 - 1842).

A Closer Look

Coverage embraces all of Florida, from its northern borders with Georgia and Alabama to the Keys and from the Perdido River to Jupiter Island (Palm Beach). Florida is divided into counties and colored accordingly, with Mosquito County making up most of Central and South-Central Florida. The map names both Arredondo's Grant and Miranda's Grant (see below). There are numerous forts labeled throughout the territory, most associated with the Second Seminole War, most identified with the pound symbol, suggesting abandonment. Notably, there are no roads, and pioneering towns, such as Volusia, are accessible only by river. There is, however, a railroad, a pioneering line running from Tallahassee to St. Marks.

Florida Land Grants

Two land grants, Arredondo's Grant (Gainesville) and Miranda's Grant (Tampa), are holdovers from Spanish Florida. Beginning in the 1790s, the Spanish crown offered land grants to people courageous enough to emigrate to Florida or for meritorious service to the crown. Arredondo's Grant, named after Fernando de la Maza Arredondo (c. 1760 - 18??), is located west of St. Augustine in Alachua County. It was granted to Arredondo in 1817 by Alexander Ramirez of Havana. Miranda's Grant, named after Pedro Miranda, a Spanish sailor, is near modern-day Tampa. After Florida became a possession of the United States in 1821, these grants became a point of contention between the United States government and the grantees. Initially, the U.S. government declared that it would honor the grants as long as the owner could prove their legitimacy. Both Pedro Miranda and Fernando de la Maza Arredondo took their cases to the United States Supreme Court, where their rights to the land were affirmed. Eventually, nonetheless, both grants were dissolved by U.S. courts on the basis that they were not properly developed and therefore forfeited.

Tallahassee - St. Marks Railroad

The Tallahassee to St. Marks Railroad, completed in 1836, was one of Florida's first railroads and among the earliest in the southeastern United States. Spanning 21 miles, it connected Tallahassee, the territorial capital, to the port of St. Marks on the Gulf of Mexico, serving as a crucial link for transporting cotton and other agricultural goods from inland plantations to international markets. Initially relying on mule-drawn carts, it transitioned to steam locomotives in the 1850s, boosting efficiency. During the Civil War, the railroad played a strategic role for the Confederacy, moving supplies and troops. However, it was targeted by Union forces due to St. Marks's importance as a shipping point. Post-war, the railroad struggled to compete with modernized transportation networks and eventually ceased operation. Today, its legacy is preserved as the Tallahassee-St. Marks Historic Railroad State Trail.

Publication History and Census

The 1838 copyright on this map corresponds to the first edition - as Bradford did not invest in new copyright registrations despite numerous annual content updates. A note under the bottom border identifies this map as being corrected to 1846. It was engraved by George Washington Boynton and published as plate number 35 in the 1846 large format edition of Bradford and Goodrich's A Universal Illustrated Atlas. Scarce to the market.