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...
Data Set (DS) | Office of Coast Survey (OCS)GUID: gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:39977 | Updated: April 8, 2025 | Published / External
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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
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
-
JPEG
Downloadable JPG Images
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.
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
-180° W,
180° E,
90° N,
-90° S
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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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City: | Silver Spring |
State/Province: | MD |
Data Set Information
Data Set Scope Code: | Non-Geographic Data Set |
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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
Date Effective From: | 2025-04-04 |
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Date Effective To: | |
Contact (Person): | Legeer, Sean |
Email Address: | sean.legeer@noaa.gov |
Distributor
Date Effective From: | 2018-12-14 |
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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
Date Effective From: | 2025-04-04 |
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Date Effective To: | |
Contact (Person): | Legeer, Sean |
Email Address: | sean.legeer@noaa.gov |
Point of Contact
Date Effective From: | 2025-04-04 |
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Date Effective To: | |
Contact (Person): | Legeer, Sean |
Email Address: | sean.legeer@noaa.gov |
Extents
Currentness Reference: | Publication Date |
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Extent Group 1
Extent Group 1 / Geographic Area 1
W° Bound: | -180 | |
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E° Bound: | 180 | |
N° Bound: | 90 | |
S° Bound: | -90 |
Extent Group 1 / Time Frame 1
Time Frame Type: | Range |
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Start: | 1747 |
End: | 2024 |
Spatial Information
Spatial Representation
Representations Used
Grid: | Yes |
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Access Information
Security Class: | Unclassified |
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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
Download URL: | https://historicalcharts.noaa.gov/ |
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Distributor: | Office of Coast Survey (OCS) (2018-12-14 - Present) |
Description: |
Downloadable JPG Images |
File Type (Deprecated): | sid |
Distribution Format: | JPEG |
URLs
URL 1
URL: | https://historicalcharts.noaa.gov |
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Name: | Historical Map and Chart Website |
URL Type: |
Online Resource
|
Description: |
Main webpage. |
Activity Log
Activity Log 1
Activity Date/Time: | 2008-11-07 |
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Description: |
Date that the source FGDC record was last modified. |
Activity Log 2
Activity Date/Time: | 2017-04-05 |
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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
Activity Date/Time: | 2017-09-13 |
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Description: |
Partial upload of Spatial Info section only. |
Activity Log 4
Activity Date/Time: | 2025-02-18 |
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Responsible Party: | Ben Galdi |
Description: |
Metadata Updated |
Data Quality
Horizontal Positional Accuracy: |
Historical map and chart images are not georeferenced. |
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Data Management
Approximate Percentage of Budget for these Data Devoted to Data Management: | Unknown |
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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
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. |
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Process Contact: | Galdi, Ben |
Email Address: | ben.galdi@noaa.gov |
Acquisition Information
Instruments
Instrument Unavailable Reason: | Not Applicable |
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Platforms
Platform Unavailable Reason: | Not Applicable |
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Catalog Details
Catalog Item ID: | 39977 |
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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 |