Doolittle Map Connecticut (1 results)

Fair. Mended along centerfold split. Light foxing outside border. Size 12 x 14.5 Inches. A fascinating 1795 map of the state of Connecticut, drawn and engraved by Amos Doolittle for Matthew Carey's Carey's American Edition of Guthrie's Geography Improved , the first atlas published in the United States of America. A Closer Look The state of Connecticut is displayed as divided into counties. Cities and towns, roads, hills, waterways, and other features are noted throughout. Along the coast, points, harbors, beaches, and hazards are all recorded. The lighthouse near New London is the New London Harbor Light, built in 1760, the earliest lighthouse in Connecticut and the only one at the time of this map's publication. Fort Griswold, also near New London, was captured by the British (under Benedict Arnold) during the Revolutionary War in 1781, before being abandoned and recaptured by the Americans. As indicated in a legend at top-left, illustrations mark cities and towns hosting courthouses, including New York City, New Haven, Hartford, Tolland, Litchfield, Danbury, Windham, and New London. The title cartouche includes an illustration of a coastal area with ships on the water, along with the state motto 'Qui transtulit sustinet,' harkening to the state's colonial history. The 'Oblong' Notable in the western part of the state is the 'Oblong,' marked out with a dashed line. This area was the site of disputes between landowners dating back decades, itself the result of a broader territorial dispute between the colonies of New York and Connecticut. Although the colonies had resolved their disagreements in 1731, by setting aside the 'Oblong' as compensation to New York for the Connecticut Panhandle, New York landowners did not always enforce their ownership claims. This laxity allowed squatters to move in and claim rights to the land after several years. This problem was especially acute along the border with Putnam County, New York, owned by the Philipse Family. However, as the family were ardent Loyalists during the American Revolutionary War (1775 - 1783), the problem was mostly resolved at the end of the conflict when their lands were confiscated and the squatters given deeds. Publication History and Census This map was drawn and engraved by Amos Doolittle for inclusion in Matthew Carey's Carey's American Edition of Guthrie's Geography Improved , published in Philadelphia in 1795. The same map also appeared in the largely overlapping Carey's American Atlas , published soon afterwards. Regardless of printing, roughly ten institutions independently catalog this map in the OCLC, though the intermingling of digital and physical examples makes a precise census difficult. References: Rumsey 2542.006. OCLC 5565254, 950941475, 163340530.