Prince George's County Celebrates 300 years of history 1696-1996
Prince George's County
Celebrates 300
years of history 1696-1996
Maps offer a snapshot on the extent of geographical knowledge for a given area at different points in time. Prince George's County rarely appears on colonial-era maps because it marked the little- known western frontier of Maryland until Frederick County was created in 1748. American cartographers began producing accurate maps of Maryland in the 1790s, and Dennis Griffith's map published in 1795 includes perhaps the best early depiction of Prince George's County. In the 19th century, map makers faithfully documented the growth of the nation as new communities and internal improvements such as canals, roads, and railroads filled-in the blank spaces on the map. Finely detailed county maps and atlases began appearing in the Civil War era. For Prince George's County the Martenet map of 1861 and the Hopkins atlas of 1878 represent very attractive examples of the kind of general purpose mapping that was popular in the late 19th century. By the 20th century, professional cartographers were creating specialty maps for specific uses. Fire insurance maps provided an extraordinary level of detail on structures in the growing suburban communities in the counties, while geological, hydrological, or topographical maps documented the physical lay of the land.
The Maryland Collection at McKeldin Library houses a collection of over 2500 maps of the Chesapeake region. Researchers may gain access to this collection in the Maryland Room. 3rd floor, McKeldin Library at the University of Maryland at College Park. or view other items on display in the 300 Candles: Slices of Prince George's County exhibit.
Prince
George's Tricentennial Home page.