REDISCOVERING YOUR COUNTY’S HISTORICAL ATLASES

By Richard V. Francavilia, Head, Local History Office, Ohio Historical Society

Local History Notebook, May / June 1991

Have you taken a good look at your county's historical atlases recently? Are you aware of the wealth of historical information that they contain? The most elaborate county atlases were usually done in the period 1870-1880, though many counties were also recorded in later editions dating from around 1905. This article focuses on the first generation of popular county atlases--what I call the Victorian era atlases, that date from 1866 to about 1885. They are often called combination atlas maps, or simply historical atlases.

The Victorian era county atlases are best known for their impressive lithographic illustrations of local scenes. These atlases represent the county's coming of age, when it became prosperous enough to afford this kind of documentation. Most of the lithographic views were "subscribed,” that is, local farmers and merchants paid to have their properties appear in the atlas. That means that what we see illustrated in them may not necessarily be typical of the times, but rather the results of especially hard work that resulted in individual and community prosperity. It is with this understanding that county atlases should be supplemented by other sources in to order to develop a complete and accurate picture of life during this time period.

The atlases also often feature views of public places, such as cemeteries, courthouses, and city halls, as well as occasional startling "birds-eye views" of large areas. Although some people have criticized the atlases for taking some artistic liberties, overall the drawings are rather accurate portrayals of what the engravers and artists saw.

While preparing a talk on Ohio's historic Civil War monuments recently, I had an opportunity to look through all of our state's historical county atlases, and was astounded by how many things I had missed earlier. Join me for another look at these county atlases to see what they can tell us about the past and how we might use them to enhance the way we tell the history of our communities today.

The Illustrations

The illustrations in a county atlas provide a glimpse of Ohio's people and places in an age before photographs could be reproduced in books. Some years ago, local historian Bob Parker of Yellow Springs did a "then-now" study of Greene County's "century farms" using the 1874 L.H. Everts Combination Atlas Map as a basis. Remarkably, a number of the buildings were virtually unchanged; they confirmed the accuracy of the original illustrations and were a testimony to ongoing local preservation efforts. Formal "high style" architecture is often featured, but the illustrations in county atlases feature much more. Consider, for example, the farmstead itself and what it can tell us about cultural influences. In addition to grand houses, the illustrator often represented the other more mundane but equally important buildings such as barns, sheds, and granaries. Their design and layout can tell us much about cultural traditions, as, for example, the Pennsylvania Style "bank barns" that are frequently shown in Central Ohio county atlases or the English style barns that are common in the Western Reserve hint at the more eastern origins of the settlers. Those of us doing historical research should look at the way the buildings are positioned, or placed, with regard to each other and to the natural features such as streams, trees, and hills. In an age of agrarian prosperity, the illustrator was liable to depict farm animals rather well, and one often finds hogs, sheep, and cattle grazing or foraging. Sometimes these animals appear grossly oversize, perhaps a way of emphasizing their importance. The atlases also show how manicured the formal entryways to some farms were in Victorian times.

Industry was an important activity in all but the smallest Ohio communities by 1870, and the atlases are a treasure trove of information about early commercial and industrial enterprises. Consider, for example, the illustration of the Limaville Terra Cotta and Stoneware works in Stark County in 1875. The illustrator has included the factory buildings, kilns, workers, and even the finished terra cotta sculptures and ornaments on the loading platform for shipment by rail. Another scene, that of the residence of B.M. Pugh in Walnut Township, Fairfield County in 1875, also says much about commerce and transportation. Note the mill and lumber and coal sheds down by the canal, where canal boats like the Paris loaded and unloaded their cargoes. The atlases also offer glimpses of bridges (such as the covered truss bridge), wagons, plows, and the like, reminding us that the Victorians were as proud of, and fascinated by, technology as we are today.

"Main Street" was not neglected. The lithograph of J. J. Watts & Brothers' store in the small community of Broadway, Union County, depicts the bustling activity and high style clothing that characterized Victorian society. Cames and Shepard's store in Nelsonville, dealers in "Dry goods, boots, shoes, hats and caps, queensware and groceries," tells us much about the merchandising of the period, provided that we understand that some people could not afford to shop here. These interior and exterior scenes of commercial enterprises give us much to compare with today. Most have been remodeled, and some are video stores and pizza parlors. Think of the exciting exhibits that your historical organization could prepare using the late nineteenth-century county atlases as a starting point.

The Maps

Although the handsome illustrations may capture our attention, maps in the atlases provide a more representative, and perhaps democratic, view of the county. For example, the township maps usually show ownership of all property parcels, and natural features such as rivers, hills, and swamps, as well as vegetation (forests, orchards). They show all roads, railroads, and canals, as well as cemeteries, churches, and schools.

Using the atlases, it would be possible to make a generalized study of how the environment has changed since the 1870s. The township maps are among the most valuable historic resources, for they provide a view of how land was divided, owned, and settled.

The atlases also provide clues about past societal values. Victorians were concerned with their social and geographic position in the world, and our county atlases often contain maps of the United States and the world. These atlases were educational, and one can picture families consulting the atlases, which must have been a close second to the family bible as literature around the home, to learn more about the world around them. Geographical as well as historical literacy was important to the Victorians, for self- improvement was one of the underpinnings of social life.

Business Directories

County atlases contain the names and addresses of patrons--a kind of mini-directory of supporters of the project. Some also contain a listing, by township, of all business establishments. This listing, which is often the only directory of businesses for smaller places, is invaluable in reconstructing what commercial life was like. One is often surprised at the diversity of the enterprises. Many towns had a purveyor of marble monuments; communities located on streams and rivers often had numerous mills. General merchandise stores were found in all but the smallest towns, and the larger communities featured a wide range of services such as millinery shops and tobacconists, which says much about the growing specialization and consumerism of Victorian society Addresses are often included, so it is easy to locate the commercial enterprise. Predictably, many of these businesses clustered on Main Street, while industries were found close to streams and railroad lines.

Historical Sketches

The desire to be well informed was seen in the historical sketches provided in each atlas. Here, the Victorian reader found thumbnail historical sketches of the county, the state of Ohio, the United States and, in some cases, even the world. We may be skeptical of such oversimplified, condensed history today, but it served to anchor our Victorian ancestors to home on the one hand while preparing them for empire building roles on the other.

The county histories, in particular, make interesting reading, for they summarize the contemporary historical facts and assumptions. Today students of local history can use them to illustrate new methods of historical interpretation while being sympathetic to the challenges faced by the early historians of the period, who had a good deal less information and experience to call upon than we do now. County atlases often contain historical synopses of particular families, telling us something about the ancestry, early homes, early educational training, and business experiences of subscribers. One cannot help but be impressed by the adjustments (we might call them "career changes" today) that many of these enterprising people made during the period 1855-1875. Some county atlases contain rolls of those who served in the Civil War. From our perspective today, it is difficult to imagine how deeply the losses of that war affected Ohioans, but the historical atlases remind us of their sacrifices during it, and the way they regrouped after it by turning the machines of war into those of industrial prosperity. It is sobering to note that the rarity of county atlases in the South might be explained by the devastation brought about by the Civil War.

Summary

According to historical geographer Michael Conzen, who is an authority on American county atlases, Ohio's maps and atlases represent an extraordinarily rich mixture of work by a number of major publishers. This is not surprising, given the state's wealth and prominence during the Victorian period. Most of the producers were located in the larger cities such as Chicago, New York and Philadelphia, but some were Ohio based. A partial listing shows the diversity of Ohio historical atlas publishers, including A.T. Andreas (Chicago); Tackabury, Mead, & Moffett (Philadelphia); J.A. Caldwell and J.W Starr (Granville, Ohio); D.J. Stewart (Philadelphia); F.W. Beers & Co. (New York); and H.H. Hardesty & Co. (Chicago).

The county atlases of the Victorian period provide a glimpse of our history during a time of growth, change, and prosperity when Ohio was making the transition from an agrarian to an industrial economy. Technological changes would bring about the demise of the lithograph as photographs were soon to appear in books. Their ornate, detailed maps would soon be replaced by more prosaic survey-type maps. By about 1900, the Victorian historical atlas was outmoded. In lithographs and narration, the late nineteenth-century Victorian atlases present a picture of life in local areas that were becoming increasingly connected to the outside world. Because they contain a wealth of information for historians, students, and teachers, they are worth rediscovering.

Additional Reading

Michael Conzen. The County Land Ownership Map in America: Its Commercial Development and Social Transformation, 1834-1939. Imago Mundi, Vol. 36,1984, pp. 9-31.

Michael Conzen. "Landownership Maps and County Atlases." Agricultural History, Vol. 58, Spring 1984, pp. 118-122.

The Local History Notebook is edited and published by the Ohio Historical Society's Local History Office in order to bring useful information to people working in the local history field. The selections of subjects and authors is based on inquiries to the Local History Office and on the editors' determination of issues which are timely in nature and lasting in scope. The reference inserts are copyrighted 1991 by the Ohio Historical Society. Reprints are available; please specify volume and number. For further information, contact: