Historical maps

As this site has developed I have spent more and more time playing with old maps, scouring them for clues about how the landscape of the area has changed over the years. To create a visual marriage of the past and present, I have experimented with ways of processing these old maps so that they can be overlaid onto present-day aerial photographs. Eventually, I figured out how to load them into Google Earth. This is not a straightforward process, but the result is worth it, as it allow you to explore the maps from literally any angle while seeing them in the context of the modern landscape. And because Google Earth is free, it provides a means for just about anyone to explore the maps in this new format.

The pages linked below provide a tour of the most interesting maps that I have collected and used on this site. Each page includes some background information about the relevant map as well as an embedded Google Earth ‘portal’ through which you can explore the map interactively (this may require you to install a Google Earth plugin for your browser). You can also download kmz files that link to the maps so you can explore them in Google Earth in the usual manner (i.e. outside your web browser).

Last modified: May 6, 2013