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Summary
Item Identification
Keywords
Physical Location
Data Set Info
Support Roles
Extents
Spatial Info
Access Info
Distribution Info
URLs
Activity Log
Data Quality
Data Management
Lineage
Acquisition Info
Catalog Details

Summary

Short Citation
Office of Coast Survey, 2025: Historical Map & Chart Collection of NOAA's Nautical Charts, Hydrographic Surveys, Topographic Surveys, Geodetic Surveys, City Plans, and Civil War Battle Maps Starting from the mid 1700's, https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/39977.
Full Citation Examples

Abstract

The Historical Map and Chart Collection of the Office of Coast Survey contains over 35000 historical maps and charts from the mid 1700s up through the 2020s, including the final cancelled editions of NOAA's raster charts. These images are available for viewing or download through the image catalog at https://historicalcharts.noaa.gov/. The Collection includes some of the nation's earliest nautical charts, hydrographic surveys, topographic surveys, bathymetric maps, annual reports, coast pilots, geodetic surveys, city plans, and Civil War battle maps. The Collection is a rich primary historical archive and a testament to the artistry of copper plate engraving technology of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Notable offerings include maps of Vancouver's explorations, the "Wilkes Atlas" of the U.S. Whistler's Anacapa Island chart, an extensive Civil War collection, a large scale topographic series of Washington, D.C., city plans, the reengraving of the famous 1792 L'Enfant and Ellicott plan for Washington D.C., and many artistic perspective sketches that were once an integral part of hydrographic surveys and published charts.

Distribution Information

Access Constraints:

Historical maps and charts on this website are considered to be in the public domain. Historical Charts are not for Navigation. Screen captures of Historical Charts do not fulfill chart carriage requirements for regulated commercial vessels under Titles 33 and 46 of the Code of Federal Regulations. For navigational charts, please visit the Office of Coast Survey website.

Use Constraints:

The Historical Map and Chart Collection is available for free usage by the general public, other Federal, State or Local agencies, and educational institutions. If the images are used in a publication, presentation or exhibit, the Coast Survey requests an appropriate credit line be included such as "From the Image Archives of the Historical Map & Chart Collection/Office of Coast Survey/National Ocean Service/NOAA".

Controlled Theme Keywords

BATHYMETRY/SEAFLOOR TOPOGRAPHY, HYDROGRAPHY, oceans, society, TOPOGRAPHICAL RELIEF MAPS

Child Items

No Child Items for this record.

Contact Information

Point of Contact
Sean Legeer
sean.legeer@noaa.gov

Metadata Contact
Sean Legeer
sean.legeer@noaa.gov

Extents

Geographic Area 1

-180° W, 180° E, 90° N, -90° S

Time Frame 1
1747 - 2024

Item Identification

Title: Historical Map & Chart Collection of NOAA's Nautical Charts, Hydrographic Surveys, Topographic Surveys, Geodetic Surveys, City Plans, and Civil War Battle Maps Starting from the mid 1700's
Short Name: historical_chart
Status: In Work
Creation Date: 1996
Publication Date: 2002
Abstract:

The Historical Map and Chart Collection of the Office of Coast Survey contains over 35000 historical maps and charts from the mid 1700s up through the 2020s, including the final cancelled editions of NOAA's raster charts. These images are available for viewing or download through the image catalog at https://historicalcharts.noaa.gov/. The Collection includes some of the nation's earliest nautical charts, hydrographic surveys, topographic surveys, bathymetric maps, annual reports, coast pilots, geodetic surveys, city plans, and Civil War battle maps. The Collection is a rich primary historical archive and a testament to the artistry of copper plate engraving technology of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Notable offerings include maps of Vancouver's explorations, the "Wilkes Atlas" of the U.S. Whistler's Anacapa Island chart, an extensive Civil War collection, a large scale topographic series of Washington, D.C., city plans, the reengraving of the famous 1792 L'Enfant and Ellicott plan for Washington D.C., and many artistic perspective sketches that were once an integral part of hydrographic surveys and published charts.

Purpose:

Since 1996, the Coast Survey has been engaged in a long term project to develop high resolution digital images of its entire archive of historic maps and charts. These archived maps have very significant historical value in and of themselves, and also provide a thorough documentation of the evolution of cartographic and engraving techniques over the past two centuries.

Notes:

1531

Supplemental Information:

The Coast Survey and its predecessor agencies have been producing maps and chart products for over 150 years. In the early 1800's, the United States consisted of some interior territory and 16 states along the eastern seaboard. Commerce between the states was mostly waterborne. Foreign trade, necessary for the survival and expansion of our national economy, was entirely by sea. A lack of nautical charts made navigation dangerous in the unknown watersalong the U.S. coasts and in the young nation's harbors. Inadequate sketches of a few areas and written descriptions such as Blunt's Coast Pilot were the only printed information available to the mariner. Shipwrecks were common, insurance rates high, and products of commerce correspondingly highly priced.President Thomas Jefferson, among others, foresaw the need for comprehensive, reliable nautical charts to safeguard shipping. On February 10, 1807, Congress passed an act authorizing President Jefferson ". . . to cause a survey to be taken of coasts of the United States, in which shall be designated the islands and shoals and places of anchorage . . ."The first U.S. Government-produced nautical chart, a black and white print made in 1835 from a stone engraving, was of Bridgeport Harbor, Connecticut. Although lacking in the detail of today's charts, it was compiled to an exceptional cartographic accuracy that has been a consistent characteristic of U.S. nautical charts throughout the years. Acquisition of a copperplate printing press in 1842 enabled the Coast Survey to publish a chart of New York Bay and Harbor in 1844 with finer definition than was possible from stone engravings. The addition of color, first added to the charts by hand in the 1800's and then by color lithographic processes in the early 1900's, enhanced the usefulness of the charts.From its inception, Coast Survey was in the forefront of new surveying innovations. It used schooners to perform surveys, lead lines to measure soundings, and astronomic fixes and dead reckoning to position a survey ship when out of sight of land on the first hydrographic surveys in late 1834 and early 1835. Through the maps and charts Coast Survey produced from the early 1800's to present, the history of cartographic techniques and applications can be traced from early stone engravings to today's computer generated negatives. Coast Survey historical charts and surveys contain some of the finest landscape perspectives and harbor views drawn in the 1800's.

Keywords

Theme Keywords

Thesaurus Keyword
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords
EARTH SCIENCE > LAND SURFACE > TOPOGRAPHY > TERRAIN ELEVATION > TOPOGRAPHICAL RELIEF MAPS
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords
EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > BATHYMETRY/SEAFLOOR TOPOGRAPHY
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords
EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > HYDROGRAPHY
ISO 19115 Topic Category
oceans
ISO 19115 Topic Category
society
UNCONTROLLED
NOS Data Explorer Topic Category Nautical Charting
None aeronautical charts
None city plans
None civil war maps
None historical charts
None historical maps
None marine navigation

Spatial Keywords

Thesaurus Keyword
UNCONTROLLED
None Africa
None Asia
None Canada
None Europe
None Global
None Greenland
None Mexico
None Middle East
None Pacific Ocean
None Phillipine Islands
None Puerto Rico
None Russia
None South America
None United States
None Virgin Islands
None West Indies

Physical Location

Organization: Office of Coast Survey
City: Silver Spring
State/Province: MD

Data Set Information

Data Set Scope Code: Non-Geographic Data Set
Maintenance Frequency: As Needed
Data Presentation Form: raster images
Distribution Liability:

All maps and charts in public domain. Usage is not restricted.

Support Roles

Data Steward

CC ID: 808920
Date Effective From: 2025-04-04
Date Effective To:
Contact (Person): Legeer, Sean
Email Address: sean.legeer@noaa.gov

Distributor

CC ID: 808921
Date Effective From: 2018-12-14
Date Effective To:
Contact (Organization): Office of Coast Survey (OCS)
Address: 1315 East West Highway
Silver Spring, MD 20910
URL: https://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/

Metadata Contact

CC ID: 1368649
Date Effective From: 2025-04-04
Date Effective To:
Contact (Person): Legeer, Sean
Email Address: sean.legeer@noaa.gov

Point of Contact

CC ID: 1368650
Date Effective From: 2025-04-04
Date Effective To:
Contact (Person): Legeer, Sean
Email Address: sean.legeer@noaa.gov

Extents

Currentness Reference: Publication Date

Extent Group 1

Extent Group 1 / Geographic Area 1

CC ID: 494389
W° Bound: -180
E° Bound: 180
N° Bound: 90
S° Bound: -90

Extent Group 1 / Time Frame 1

CC ID: 494388
Time Frame Type: Range
Start: 1747
End: 2024

Spatial Information

Spatial Representation

Representations Used

Grid: Yes

Access Information

Security Class: Unclassified
Data Access Constraints:

Historical maps and charts on this website are considered to be in the public domain. Historical Charts are not for Navigation. Screen captures of Historical Charts do not fulfill chart carriage requirements for regulated commercial vessels under Titles 33 and 46 of the Code of Federal Regulations. For navigational charts, please visit the Office of Coast Survey website.

Data Use Constraints:

The Historical Map and Chart Collection is available for free usage by the general public, other Federal, State or Local agencies, and educational institutions. If the images are used in a publication, presentation or exhibit, the Coast Survey requests an appropriate credit line be included such as "From the Image Archives of the Historical Map & Chart Collection/Office of Coast Survey/National Ocean Service/NOAA".

Distribution Information

Distribution 1

CC ID: 494390
Download URL: https://historicalcharts.noaa.gov/
Distributor: Office of Coast Survey (OCS) (2018-12-14 - Present)
Description:

Downloadable JPG Images

File Type (Deprecated): sid
Distribution Format: JPEG

URLs

URL 1

CC ID: 494382
URL: https://historicalcharts.noaa.gov
Name: Historical Map and Chart Website
URL Type:
Online Resource
Description:

Main webpage.

Activity Log

Activity Log 1

CC ID: 494424
Activity Date/Time: 2008-11-07
Description:

Date that the source FGDC record was last modified.

Activity Log 2

CC ID: 494423
Activity Date/Time: 2017-04-05
Description:

Converted from FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata (version FGDC-STD-001-1998) using 'fgdc_to_inport_xml.pl' script. Contact Tyler Christensen (NOS) for details.

Activity Log 3

CC ID: 587948
Activity Date/Time: 2017-09-13
Description:

Partial upload of Spatial Info section only.

Activity Log 4

CC ID: 1371149
Activity Date/Time: 2025-02-18
Responsible Party: Ben Galdi
Description:

Metadata Updated

Data Quality

Horizontal Positional Accuracy:

Historical map and chart images are not georeferenced.

Data Management

Approximate Percentage of Budget for these Data Devoted to Data Management: Unknown
Do these Data Comply with the Data Access Directive?: Yes
Is Access to the Data Limited Based on an Approved Waiver?: No

Lineage

Process Steps

Process Step 1

CC ID: 1368653
Description:

The Office of Coast Survey receives relevant map or chart images from various sources and adds the metadata to the database and the images to the archive.

Process Contact: Galdi, Ben
Email Address: ben.galdi@noaa.gov

Acquisition Information

Instruments

Instrument Unavailable Reason: Not Applicable

Platforms

Platform Unavailable Reason: Not Applicable

Catalog Details

Catalog Item ID: 39977
GUID: gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:39977
Metadata Record Created By: Tyler Christensen
Metadata Record Created: 2017-04-05 13:49+0000
Metadata Record Last Modified By: Leland Snyder
Metadata Record Last Modified: 2025-04-08 19:17+0000
Metadata Record Published: 2025-02-28
Owner Org: OCS
Metadata Publication Status: Published Externally
Do Not Publish?: N
Metadata Last Review Date: 2025-02-28
Metadata Review Frequency: 1 Year
Metadata Next Review Date: 2026-02-28