Map of Caledonia County, VT 1858

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Map of Caledonia County, VT 1858 Home Contents Original Wall map Historical Sketch Typical Map An Historical Sketch of The Map
The Map of Caledonia County, Vermont 1858 is an important historical document. It was the result of the most comprehensive survey made to that date of the 17 towns in the county. The map pinpoints the names and locations of every residence, workplace, church and school.
This map is one of several Vermont county maps created in the 1850s- a period of extraordinary map-making in America. Businessmen from New York and Philadelphia were the leaders of the county map-making effort. Few details of this map's origins are known, but we do know the general methods used for these projects. Publication was announced in local newspapers, and local offices were set up where advance orders for the new map could be taken. A typical mid-1850s price was five dollars per copy. Prominent citizens allowed their names to be used in the map's advertisements, testifying to the merits of the map, and no doubt assuring it of financial success. On some of the county maps the homes or businesses of prominent people would appear in the map margins - for an extra fee. However, no such private pictures are on the Caledonia County Map - the only engraved images are of the State Capitol and the County Courthouse in St. Johnsbury. The map was printed on four separate sheets (probably on large stone printing plates) and assembled and glued together onto a cloth backing. Each copy was then hand-colored in several different hues, varnished, and mounted on wooden rollers.
Roads were measured with a wheel odometer, similar to the wheelbarrow-like device pictured here, or one drawn by horse and buggy. The surveyor would ask the names of farmstead owners as he passed by, and would surely add a brief sales pitch for the new map...
...after all, the map would carry the name of the resident, engraved upon it. The original road surveys for this privately-produced map were the most comprehensive yet made. This map served as the basis for later maps until the end of the century. P.S. I am seeking more interesting facts about the original publication of this map, or notes on curious facts depicted on it. Please email the publisher with any information you may have. Thanks. D. Allen, March, 2005.