Overview
The Pennsylvania State Archives maintains original maps of the Commonwealth and its territories. This includes Land Office maps and panoramic maps, as well as maps of railroads, traffic, tourism, canals, and more.
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Map collection (Manuscript Group 011)
This collection features more than 3,608 historical maps. They are arranged in eight major sub-groups: 1 ) Colony and Commonwealth; 2) Counties; 3) Townships; 4) Cities and Boroughs; 5) Boundaries, Geology, Natural Resources, Parks, Topography; 6) Transportation (Indian trails, roads and turnpikes, rivers and streams, canals, railroads, aviation, etc.); 7) Military and Battlefields (French and Indian War, Revolutionary War, Civil War); and 8) Vignettes.
You can view the finding aid for the Map collection (MG-11).
| Record | Notes | Digital images |
|---|---|---|
| Map Collection | Arranged by map number. | Not currently available online |
| Fowler’s Panoramic Maps, 1884–1907 | Late 19th, early 20th century hand drawn panoramic birds-eye view maps of Pennsylvania boroughs and cities (Maps 567.1 - 567.16). | PA State Archives |
| County Atlases and Maps, 1850s–1870s | PA State Archives |
Land Office maps (Record Group 017)
| Record | Notes | Finding aid | Digital images |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land Office Map Collection | Arranged by map number. | Records of the Land Office (RG-17) | Not currently available online |
| Warrantee Township Maps | Maps showing all original land purchases from the Proprietors or the Commonwealth made inside the boundaries of present-day townships. Not all townships and counties are represented. | Records of the Land Office (RG-17) | PA State Archives |
| Connected Draft Maps | Maps showing warrant, survey, and patent data for tracts within a limited area of a particular locality. Similar to warrantee township maps. | Records of the Land Office (RG-17) | PA State Archives |
| Melish-Whiteside Maps, 1816–1821 | First official set of county maps produced for the Commonwealth. Includes information such as township lines, municipality names, geographic features, and roads and distances. | Records of the Land Office (RG-17) | PA State Archives |
| Canal Map Books, 1810–1881, undated | Map books prepared by engineers at the request of the Commissioners for the purpose of illustrating routes for the various divisions of the canal system. | Records of the Land Office (RG-17) | PA Digital Archives |
