A cartographic history of NJ is now on official exhibit at Princeton University.
I received the news release below today from my professional society and I thought it would be of interest.
By the way, hail to Ben, not Caesar, for giving us all a jump start on this years ago with the NJPB Historic maps.
A Map to the Past
There is a new exhibit at Princeton University that I thought would be of interest to NJ land surveyors, “Nova Caesarea: A Cartographic Record of the Garden State, 1666-1888". If you are unable to visit the display in person I encourage you to check out the website.
New Jersey’s 350th anniversary commemorations have elevated interest in state history. Now John Delaney, curator of historic maps at Princeton University’s Firestone Library, has seized the milestone as an opportunity to fulfill a long-held ambition. “I always wanted to do something on New Jersey before I retired,” he said. “I started on this project two years ago.” Delaney’s prolonged and extensive efforts bore the fruits of an exhibit, a website and a massive, sumptuously illustrated book, all bearing the title “Nova Caesarea: A Cartographic Record of the Garden State, 1666-1888.”
The exhibit occupies the main gallery of Firestone Library, while the book and website: http://library.princeton.edu/njmaps - expand upon and elaborate its themes.
The display consists of much more than a simple succession of antique maps. Delaney commands an arsenal of materials for breathing life into the history and topics established and oriented by the cartographic records.
“At their most useful, historic maps allow you to re-examine a place you thought you knew,” said the Hopewell Township resident, who will retire at the end of the year. “Supporting the maps are illustrations from the atlases and, where possible and appropriate, recent photographs of the same structures and areas for the purpose of historical contrast.”
This display proceeds from a general introduction to a section outlining the means and methods of early mappers, and then progresses through background surveys and early maps and atlases before advancing to the highly personalized early county maps. A further section explores some of the vicissitudes of the always-popular Jersey shore.
And how did he come up with the project’s name? The “New Jersey” name connects with the English Channel Island of Jersey with the “Jersey” traditionally derived from the Latin “Caesarea.” When James, Duke of York granted territory on the East coast of North America to noblemen Sir George Carteret and John Lord Berkeley in 1664, the document states: “said Tract of Land is hereafter to be called by the name or names of New Caesarea or New Jersey.”
The exhibit features a number of guides and instruments commonly employed in the 18th century. A surveyor’s compass produced by colonial instrument maker Thomas Greenough in 1760 provided angle determinations, while a “Gunter’s chain” of 100 long, forged links served as a standard measuring tool.
A more expedient device, from about 1850, is the wheelbarrow-like “waywiser”. “The revolutions of the large wheel turn dials in the wooden box that provide readings in feet, rods, furlongs and miles – a surveyor could walk a route over a dirt road or field and easily measure the distance traveled,” Delaney said. “This one still works, though I doubt it’s accurate any more.”
A rich supply of historical and personal details lie embedded in the maps, which often list farms and family names in their descriptions. Delaney relied on the state’s first Gazetteer, published by Thomas F. Gordon in 1834, as a particularly rewarding resource for evoking the charm and beauty of old New Jersey towns.
“They say you can’t go home again,” he quipped, “but with maps, illustrations and photographs, you can learn how much of the past resides in the present.”
TO VIEW THE MAPS:
WHERE: Firestone Library, 1 Washington Road, Princeton, NJ
WHEN: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m Monday to Friday and noon to 5 p.m. weekends through January 25th
ADMISSION: Free
DETAILS: 609.258.1470 or http://library.Princeton.edu/njmaps
I received the news release below today from my professional society and I thought it would be of interest.
By the way, hail to Ben, not Caesar, for giving us all a jump start on this years ago with the NJPB Historic maps.
A Map to the Past
There is a new exhibit at Princeton University that I thought would be of interest to NJ land surveyors, “Nova Caesarea: A Cartographic Record of the Garden State, 1666-1888". If you are unable to visit the display in person I encourage you to check out the website.
New Jersey’s 350th anniversary commemorations have elevated interest in state history. Now John Delaney, curator of historic maps at Princeton University’s Firestone Library, has seized the milestone as an opportunity to fulfill a long-held ambition. “I always wanted to do something on New Jersey before I retired,” he said. “I started on this project two years ago.” Delaney’s prolonged and extensive efforts bore the fruits of an exhibit, a website and a massive, sumptuously illustrated book, all bearing the title “Nova Caesarea: A Cartographic Record of the Garden State, 1666-1888.”
The exhibit occupies the main gallery of Firestone Library, while the book and website: http://library.princeton.edu/njmaps - expand upon and elaborate its themes.
The display consists of much more than a simple succession of antique maps. Delaney commands an arsenal of materials for breathing life into the history and topics established and oriented by the cartographic records.
“At their most useful, historic maps allow you to re-examine a place you thought you knew,” said the Hopewell Township resident, who will retire at the end of the year. “Supporting the maps are illustrations from the atlases and, where possible and appropriate, recent photographs of the same structures and areas for the purpose of historical contrast.”
This display proceeds from a general introduction to a section outlining the means and methods of early mappers, and then progresses through background surveys and early maps and atlases before advancing to the highly personalized early county maps. A further section explores some of the vicissitudes of the always-popular Jersey shore.
And how did he come up with the project’s name? The “New Jersey” name connects with the English Channel Island of Jersey with the “Jersey” traditionally derived from the Latin “Caesarea.” When James, Duke of York granted territory on the East coast of North America to noblemen Sir George Carteret and John Lord Berkeley in 1664, the document states: “said Tract of Land is hereafter to be called by the name or names of New Caesarea or New Jersey.”
The exhibit features a number of guides and instruments commonly employed in the 18th century. A surveyor’s compass produced by colonial instrument maker Thomas Greenough in 1760 provided angle determinations, while a “Gunter’s chain” of 100 long, forged links served as a standard measuring tool.
A more expedient device, from about 1850, is the wheelbarrow-like “waywiser”. “The revolutions of the large wheel turn dials in the wooden box that provide readings in feet, rods, furlongs and miles – a surveyor could walk a route over a dirt road or field and easily measure the distance traveled,” Delaney said. “This one still works, though I doubt it’s accurate any more.”
A rich supply of historical and personal details lie embedded in the maps, which often list farms and family names in their descriptions. Delaney relied on the state’s first Gazetteer, published by Thomas F. Gordon in 1834, as a particularly rewarding resource for evoking the charm and beauty of old New Jersey towns.
“They say you can’t go home again,” he quipped, “but with maps, illustrations and photographs, you can learn how much of the past resides in the present.”
TO VIEW THE MAPS:
WHERE: Firestone Library, 1 Washington Road, Princeton, NJ
WHEN: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m Monday to Friday and noon to 5 p.m. weekends through January 25th
ADMISSION: Free
DETAILS: 609.258.1470 or http://library.Princeton.edu/njmaps
