1913 Brooks Cyanotype Map of Merritt Island, Florida (now Kennedy Space Center)

This is a 1913 Edmund Brooks cyanotype map of the north part of Merritt Island, Florida, covering the area now occupied by the Kennedy Space Center NASA Shuttle Landing Facility and the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. This is likely the earliest known specific map of Merritt Island, predating major land rush and homesteading activities in the 1920s.

A Closer Look

The map depicts part of Merritt Island and labels the Indian River, the Indian River North, and the Banana River. The canal connecting the Indian River and the Indian River North is identified, although not illustrated. The island is gridded into 160-acre homesteads, most identified by an owner's name, some of which are split between two sections in 80-acre parcels. The school section (traditionally Number 16 in the township system) is also labeled. Manuscript updates have been added here and there. When this map was issued, this area was as remote and harsh a frontier as the wild west in the mid-1800s. It is unclear if any of these lands were occupied in 1913, at the time of the survey, or if they represent land speculation. However, 10 years later, many of landowners here named do appear as residents of Wilson, an agricultural town that developed around today's Beach Road. Although the name still appears on maps, the area is now part of Kennedy Space Center and the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

Cyanotype: Why so Blue?

Cyanotype is a photo-reprographic technique developed in 1842 by the British astronomer John Herschel (1792 - 1871).  Sometimes called a 'sunprint', the technique employs a solution of ferric ammonium citrate and potassium ferricyanide, which painted on white paper or cloth, reacts when exposed to sunlight to dye the object a brilliant blue. Areas blocked from ultraviolet exposure remain undyed and white. Herschel developed the technique to reproduce his astronomical notes, but others quickly realized that any object capable of blocking light could be used to quickly and easily create a cyanotype image. By the late 19th century, the process became popular with designers, military, architects, and engineers (blueprints), who used the cheap and effective technique to quickly and exactly reproduce images in the field. Cyanotyping is limited in that only a single copy can be made at one time, so it was only practical for short-term fieldwork.  It is also of note that cyanotypes remain extremely reactive to light and, over time, fade or degrade, making them extremely ephemeral.  The process fell out of fashion in most places by the 1920s but remains in use in some parts of the world, such as India and Nepal, to this day.

Publication History and Census

This map was drawn by Edmund Brooks and dated May 1913. This is the only known cataloged example. As a cyanotype, it was likely created in very small quantities, making its survival even more remarkable.