Maryland State Archives

Map Collections

Indexed by Cartographer

Indexed by Title

Featured Map Collections

Hammond Harwood House Atlas Collection of Historical Maps of Maryland, MSA SC 1213

See also: Edward C. Papenfuse and Joseph M. Coale III. Hammond Harwood House Atlas of Historical Maps of Maryland 1634-1908. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1981; and, Edward C. Papenfuse and Joseph M. Coale III. The Maryland State Archives Atlas of Historical Maps of Maryland 1608-1908. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2003.

Huntingfield Map Collection, MSA SC 1399

Maps relating to the cartography of the Chesapeake Bay. Collection includes A Relation of Maryland, 1635, Popple's A Map of the British Empire in America..., 1733; Blunt's The of the Chesapeake Bay from its entrance to Baltimore, 1804; Smith's Generall History of Virginia, 1612 [1627]; and Ogilby's Noua Terra-Mariae tabula, 1635 [1671]. Reference copies of most maps are available for reference use in the Archives' public search room. See also: Russell Morrison, Edward C. Papenfuse, Nancy M. Bramucci, and Robert J.H. Janson-La Palme, On the Map (Chestertown: Washington College, 1983) and Russell Morrison and Robert Hansen, Charting the Chesapeake (Annapolis: Maryland State Archives, 1990).

Kent County Circuit Court Collection of William R. Nuttle Survey Records, MSA SC 5593

Surveys of Kent, Queen Anne's, Cecil and Caroline County conducted or referenced by William R. Nuttle. Includes an overview of Mr. Nuttle's filing system and tax map keys to the projects in Kent and and Queen Anne's counties. Also included is an image file of Birdseye View of Chestertown, Kent County, Maryland, 1907 drawn by T. M. Fowler, Morrisville, Pennsylvania.

S. J. Martenet & Co., Inc. Collection, MSA SC 5087

The S. J. Martenet & Co. Collection is a private collection of survey records dating from the second half of the nineteenth century created by the S. J. Martenet & Co. representing surveys across the state, focusing primarily on Baltimore City and Baltimore County. The close working relationship between the S. J. Martenet and the state of Maryland dates back at least to the Civil War, when the General Assembly passed a law mandating state and federal agency cooperation with Martenet in the preparation of his map of Maryland which was to become the standard map and atlas used in all Maryland schools. The collection is without peer, complementing and enhancing the extensive collection of public records relating to land already in the custody of the Maryland State Archives. The S. J. Martenet & Co. Collection includes the flat files and their related indices, constituting the working files of the company containing transcriptions of the metes and bounds, drawings of the property, and other notes regarding the survey; estate files and related indices; and oversized plats, and surveyor field books documenting the creation of the survey.

Correspondence of Thomas Poppleton related to his map of Baltimore City, 1811-1812; 3 volumes, M. & C.C. #1-3, recording the public property of the City of Baltimore, index and title abstracts by category of property and including extracts of titles to streets, lanes and alleys, 1870 circa - 1913 circa; plats related to the Baltimore Company's lots and Principio Company's lots in Baltimore County for dates including 1794 and 1811.

NOTE: The electronic portion of this collection is not available to the public through remote access. Patrons may view digital images of originals only within the Searchroom of the Maryland State Archives. Contact Special Collections for more information or to set an appointment.

Maryland State Archives Map Collection, MSA SC 1427

Map collection relating to the cartography of Maryland and the Chesapeake Bay. This collection consists of original and reproduction maps and charts of Maryland from the Age of Exploration to the present. It includes circulation copies of rare maps as well as photostatic reproductions of maps only available from unique examples in other repositories. The bulk of the collection includes maps of counties and municipalities, topographical maps, United States Coast and Geodetic Surveys, Maryland Geological Surveys, and maps denoting election districts. The Maryland State Archives continues to accept maps for inclusion in this collection.

McCrone, Inc. Collection of J. Revell Carr Surveys and Records, MSA SC 5862

This collection, donated by McCrone, Inc., consists of boxes of survey project folders and field note books. Has project and plat card indicies, see Series 3. J. Revell Carr (1890-1962) was an Anne Arundel County based surveyor. McCrone, Inc. purchased this collection sometime in the 1960s.

C. Milton Sincell Collection, MSA SC 1428

Plats and maps purchased by Garrett County Board of County Commissioners in approximately 1948 from the estate of a surveyor, C. Milton Sincell, and housed with the clerk of the circuit court for safekeeping. A portion of the records in this collection have been previously inventoried in the Guide to Government Records asMSA C 2365: GARRETT COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT (Plats and Maps) 1858-1972.

The rolled documents at one time were indexed and tagged with letters and numbers. Most of these tags have since fallen off, and the index has disappeared. After being in the custody of the clerk, the collection was added to with items that did not fit with existing types of records.

The series includes several unofficial subdivision plats. Easement plats pertain to state and county roads, railroads, streets and sidewalks, and utilities. Topographic, tax, geodetic, soil, flood plain, and state highway maps are found in the collection, as are some architectural drawings of residences, commercial facilities, public buildings, and landscapes.

The survey plats encompass land conveyances and leases, exhibits in court cases, coal mines, quarries, mineral rights, cemeteries, and state and county boundaries. The coal mine plats often show above ground and underground layouts of the operations. Many surveys involve land and mines in West Virginia, and a few in Pennsylvania.

Whitney Collection of Baltimore County Surveyor's Plats, MSA SC 4959

Surveyor's plats, Baltimore County and related documentation, created by William Whitney while serving as Baltimore County surveyor and later in his private career.

A card index for the Whitney Collection exists beginning at 02/45/13/16 and relates to the folders. The card index consists of 3x5 cards stored in 2 cardboard card drawers, 1 metal double drawer card file and 1 clamshell. The index appears to be missing cards from roughly P-W. The card index appears to include both property owner names and tract names. The entries in the collection database were derived from the file folder labels so the database covers the portion of the alphabet missing from the card files.

William T. Snyder Map Collection, MSA SC 2111

Series 1 of this collection was formed from a private collection of maps featuring Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Europe, the Far East and Africa dating from the sixteenth century to the mid-twentieth century. A number of detailed Baltimore City maps are included. Maps depicting trade routes through colonial North American are of particular interest.

Related Links

Digital image retrieval system for land record in Maryland. Deeds, Mortgage and Deeds of Trust, and Land Records

Digital Image Reference System for Land Survey, Subdivision, and Condominium Plats for additional geographical surveying and plats.

Other Finding Aids and Resources

Lourie, Dr. Ira, Johnson U.S. Map Project relating to map editions published by Alvin J. Johnson, A. J. Johnson, Johnson & Browning, or Johnson & Ward maps.

Papenfuse: Atlases and Maps of Baltimore City and County, 1876-1915 & Block Maps as of April, 2005