1852 Mitchell / Cowperthwait Pocket Map of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont

This is Samuel Augustus Mitchell's 1852 pocket map of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, engraved by James Young. Among other features, it is especially important for illustrating the early development of railroad networks in these states.

A Closer Look

Coverage includes Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, divided into counties (shaded with different colors for easy distinction) and portions of surrounding territories. Cities, towns, Native American settlements, roads, railroads, waterways, mountains, islands, and other features are indicated throughout. An inset of northern Maine appears at the top-left, including a traced line labeled 'Boundary of 1842.' This reflects the settlement of the Webster-Ashburton Treaty of that year, which resolved a long-simmering issue in Anglo-American relations. However, the color-shading used here, up to the 'Boundary of 1783' previously claimed by the U.S., suggests that the negotiated border was still not entirely accepted by Americans.

The inclusion of railroads - listed in an index at right with distances - is especially noteworthy as they were still relatively new technology at this time. The Boston and Lowell Railroad, connecting the two titular cities, was New England's earliest true railroad, constructed beginning in 1830 and opening for service in 1835. Additional lines opened soon afterward in rapid succession and, by the time of this map's publication, already connected Boston to points as far north as Augusta and Waterville, Maine; Lancaster, New Hampshire; and Burlington, Vermont, on Lake Champlain, continuing to La Prairie on the St. Lawrence River opposite Montreal. These lines were often built for specific, discrete purposes by companies whose names reflected the two ends of the link, but leasing and consolidation into larger networks quickly followed. For example, the Atlantic and St. Lawrence Railroad, seen here, which was extended the following year (1853) to provide an important connection between Montreal and Portland, Maine, was quickly leased by the Grand Trunk Railway and thereby linked to Toronto. (Although the Atlantic and St. Lawrence's use of a distinct 'Portland gauge' made integration difficult.) Another major player in the following decades was the Boston and Maine Railroad, which moved into a dominant position in northern New England by the turn of the 20th century.

Cartographic Lineage

This map is part of a cartographic lineage dating from Anthony Finley's 1826 pocket map of northern New England (previously sold by us, MENHVT-finley-1826), with successors following along the same parameters, with highly similar appearance and information, updated as necessary. This lineage includes H.F. Sumner's 1834 map (offered by us, MaineNewHampshireVermont-sumner-1834) and Flavius Brown and Edward Parson's 1847 map (also offered by us, MENHVT-brownparsons-1847). The present map was produced from the same plate originally used by Finley, which Mitchell acquired and began printing in 1831, issuing several printings afterward, with the present being the second-to-last. The Sumner map was issued from a different plate, clearly modeled closely on Finley's but distinguishable by the slightly different text used and the somewhat narrower geographic scope. (Sumner does not include Grand Manan Island at right, for example, and his treatment of Massachusetts does not extend as far south as Finley/Mitchell.) Sumner's business and his plates were acquired by Brown and Parsons. Thus, their pocket map contains the same distinguishing characteristics as Sumner's. Regardless of the plate used, these maps can be usefully compared to each other to explore the territorial and infrastructural evolution of northern New England in the early-mid 19th century.

Publication History and Census

This map was engraved by James H. Young and published by Samuel Augustus Mitchell in 1852 as a separate-issue pocket map. This edition is noted among the holdings of 10 institutions in the OCLC.