Free old maps of United States. Links to historical online collections of old maps of USA. Also specialties, i.e. railroads, fire insurance, bird’s eye views of towns, USGS, National Parks, etc.
Alabama Maps
University of Alabama Map Library
This very good collection of online maps includes not only Alabama, but US maps, world maps, and special topics maps, representing the combined resources of several large Alabama institutions.
All U.S. States – David Rumsey Collection
David Rumsey Map Collection
The David Rumsey Map Collection has thousands of maps, with big collections for every U.S. State. Go to the webpage at this link and look in “Where” in the left column for your state.
All U.S. States – Historic Map Works County Atlases
Historic Map Works
The Historic Map Works has a huge collection of historic U.S. maps and atlases free online, including county atlases containing plat maps, from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Click “Show World Map” near the top right corner of the linked page, click on the U.S. in the next screen, and click on your state in the following screen.
All U.S. States – LOC County Landownership Maps
Library of Congress Maps
The Library of Congress has about 2,000 maps in their County Landownership Maps Collection for the U.S. Go to the webpage at this link and look in “Location” in the left column for your state.
American Revolution and Its Era: Maps and Charts of North America and the West Indies, 1750 to 1789
Library of Congress
There are more than 1,400 items in this collection. They include many original manuscript drawings. “You can compare multiple editions of a map, and follow the development of a particular map from manuscript to printed edition. You can also compare cartographic styles for seven countries: Great Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Holland, Italy, and the U.S.” – LOC “About this Collection”.
Atlases of New York City
New York Public Library
Hundreds of historical maps of New York City, at the New York Public Library.
Atlases of the United States
New York Public Library
Hundreds of historical maps and atlases of the United States, at the New York Public Library. Most of these are for places in New York State or states near New York.
Census Atlas of the United States
U.S. Government: Census Bureau
“The Census Atlas (based on the 2000 U.S. Census) is the first comprehensive atlas of population and housing produced by the Census Bureau since the 1920s. The Census Atlas is a large-format publication about 300 pages long and containing almost 800 maps. A variety of topics are covered in the Census Atlas, ranging from language and ancestry characteristics to housing patterns and the geographic distribution of the population.” – Census Atlas Intro.
Great Lakes Maps, Atlases & Map Collections
Links to collections of maps and to individual historical maps, on a dedicated webpage here at Century Past.
See our Britannica Encyclopedia pdf
Historical Maps Online
University of Illinois: Illinois Library
Maps charting the last 400 years of historical development in Illinois and the Northwest Territory. 420 items. At University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Illinois Maps, Map Collections & Gazetteers
Links to collections of maps and to individual historical maps, on a dedicated webpage here at Century Past.
Indiana Maps, Map Collections & Gazetteers
Links to collections of maps and to individual historical maps, on a dedicated webpage here at Century Past.
Iowa Atlases and Maps Collections
University of Iowa: University Libraries
University of Iowa Libraries has these seven collections of historical maps: General Land Office Survey Maps; Hixson Plat Map Atlases of Iowa; Iowa Aerial Photo Indices; Iowa Counties Historic Atlases; Iowa Historic Sheet Maps; Iowa in the Great Depression; University of Iowa Campus Maps.
Kansas Maps
Wichita State University Libraries
More than 300 online maps are here. Included are historical maps of North America, but most appear to be of Kansas or parts thereof.
Lewis & Clark Expedition Maps
Yale University Library
Over 100 items, mostly hand-drawn maps, from the Lewis & Clark Expedition of 1804-1806. Also here are other hand-drawn illustrations of events during the expedition.
.Library Research Guide (LibGuide) – Internet Sites with Online Map Collections for U.S. History
This research guide from the librarians at Bowling Green State University contains links to a large number of websites with map collections for U.S. history.
LOC County Landownership Maps for the U.S.
U.S. Government: Library of Congress
Two Thousand Library of Congress Atlases and Maps showing landowners in U.S. counties. Filter by state and county in the left column.
Louisiana: European Explorations and the Louisiana Purchase
U.S. Government: Library of Congress
70 maps at the Library of Congress.
Mapping the National Parks
U.S. Government: Library of Congress
More than 170 maps at the Library of Congress. “This collection documents the history, cultural aspects and geological formations of areas that eventually became National Parks. The collection consists of approximately 200 maps dating from the 17th century to the present, reflecting early mapping of the areas that would become four National Parks, as well as the parks themselves. – LOC “About this Collection”.
Maps of American Westward Migration
63 maps, mostly of Mormon migration in the mid-19th century. Mountain West Digital Library.
Maryland Map Collection
University of Maryland Libraries
This link leads to the online portion of the University of Maryland collection, containing only about 150 selected maps from the 16th through the 20th centuries..
Michigan Maps, Map Collections & Gazetteers
Links to collections of maps and to individual historical maps, on a dedicated webpage here at Century Past.
(Nevada) Southern Nevada and Las Vegas: History in Maps
University of Nevada Las Vegas Libraries
More than 600 images here, from the 17th century to the present. Subjects include Water, Hoover Dam, Western Exploration, Mining, Railroads, the Southwest, Geology, and more.
North Carolina Maps
State Library of North Carolina
More than 3,000 online maps are at this site, combining three of the State’s largest collections. The link takes you to the “Browse by Subject” page, containing Atlas Maps; Coast and Geodetic Survey; Discovery and Exploration; Fire Insurance Maps; Highway Maps, Geological Maps; Military Maps; Manuscript Maps; Nautical Maps; Property; Railroad Maps, and more.
Ohio Maps, Atlases & Map Collections
Links to collections of maps and to individual historical maps, on a dedicated webpage here at Century Past.
Oklahoma Digital Maps Collections
Oklahoma State University Library
More than 9,000 images from the period 1803-1925 are at this site. Categories include U.S. Army maps; U.S. Congress documents; political, expedition, geographical, metereological and topographical maps in the McCasland Collection, US Geological Survey Maps, and 2,400 Works Progress Administration maps from 1935-1936.
Old Maps Online
This is a collaborative portal for accessing a number of online map collections worldwide. U.S. collections include;
The David Rumsey Collection
Harvard Library Collection
New York Public Library Collection
Leventhal Map Center at Boston Public Library
North Carolina Digital Heritage Center
Panoramic Maps of Cities and Towns, 1800-1899
U.S. Government: Library of Congress
Library of Congress collection of ‘Birds-Eye View’ maps. Click on the maps to enlarge, and then zoom in to see surprisingly fine detail.
Railroad Maps, 1828-1900
U.S. Government: Library of Congress
623 maps. Railroad maps and regional, state, and county maps showing “internal improvements” of the past century. Library of Congress.
(Railroads) – Maps of Railroads in the U.S.
Maps of Railroads in the Western U.S.
51 items at the first link, and 32 in the second, mostly from the 19th Century. Beinecke Library, Yale University.
Road Maps of New England, ca. 1925
From the “Automobile Green Book”, published by an automobile association in the 1920s.
Sanborn Maps at Library of Congress
U.S. Government: Library of Congress
The Sanborn maps are extremely detailed maps of cities and villages produced by the Sanborn Company for use by fire insurance agents in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The maps are at a scale of 50-feet to one-inch. Some of the maps for the largest cities in the U.S. were over 100 pages. Maps show individual buildings, the construction materials used, and the purpose of the building. Sometimes the company name is included for business buildings.
This Library of Congress free online collection has over 35,000 online Sanborn maps for thousands of U.S. cities and villages. Many towns have more than one map produced over several decades. When searching for a town in Advanced Search, choose a state first to see the complete list of cities in that state. See “About this Collection” (at the Sanborn page) for a full explanation of the symbols and conventions used in the maps.
(Topographical) Current and Historic Topographical Maps
U.S. Government: US Geographical Survey (USGS)
You can (apparently) download current topographical maps for any place in the U.S. from this site. Historical topographical maps are also available here.
Transportation and Communication
U.S. Government: Library of Congress
About 1,200 maps at the Library of Congress. “These maps document the development and status of transportation and communication systems on the national, state, and local level. Transportation maps can depict canal and river systems, cycling routes, railway lines and systems, roads and road networks, and traffic patterns. Communication maps illustrate the location and distribution of telegraph routes, telephone systems and radio coverage.” – LOC “About this Collection”.
United States Historical Maps at the Perry-Castaneda Map Collection
University of Texas at Austin Libraries
United States Historical City Maps – Perry-Castaneda Map Collection
University of Texas at Austin Libraries
USGS Maps for 50 U.S. States
U.S. Government: US Geographical Survey (USGS)
Sets of USGS maps for every state. 60,000 maps in all. Internet Archive.
Wisconsin Maps, Map Collections & Gazetteers
Links to collections of maps and to individual historical maps, on a dedicated webpage here at Century Past.