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Early maps of the United States, such as this small map engraved in 1609, are some of the earliest surviving artifacts of this period relating to America. It's amazing to think that at the same time Jodocus Hondius made this map in 1609, Captain John Smith was actually there on the ground, leading the Virginia colony at Jamestown (September, 1608 to August, 1609) and exploring this very same part of the world.  The map is an interesting combination facts and fancy, though generally it presents a significant amount of recognizable and accurate details about this portion of the Mid-Atlantic coast.  At the top of the map, we see the Chesapeake Bay (labeled Chesepiock). The Outer Banks span from Virginia and what today is the Carolina coast.  The coast follows a more westerly route than in reality, but the profile is reasonably accurate, especially for such an early age.  Maps such as this were made to inspire exploration and adventurers, and several inland features are shown which are intriguing, but which in reality never existed.  For example, a large lake, Lacus Duleis, is ficticious.  The Appalachian Mountains are depicted, with a label that reads "Apalacci Montes ubi auril et argentum invenitur", which translates from the Latin to read "Appalachian Mountains with gold and silver mines".  The tribal regions for many Native American tribes such the Secotans and the Weapemeoks, are also named on the map.  Finally, at the far southern edge of the map, we see "S Augustino", the settlement of St. Augustine, Florida, founded by the Spanish in 1565 and the oldest continually occupied European settlement in the continental United States.


 
An early map of Virginia and Florida, engraved in Amsterdam by Jodocus Hondius in 1609 and contemporary with the establishment of the Virginia Colony at Jamestown.   Media:  Printed Paper

Date:  1609

War:  None

Type:  Engraved Map

Catalog Number:  IAS-00030


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USS St. Lawrence, "National Theater" Playbill
for a Shipboard Theatrical Performance
February 9, 1855

 


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