New Haven: A Cartographic History

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One way to track historical change in a city over time is to look at the ways maps trace the evolution of urban space. New Haven is unique in the sense that over nearly four hundred years since its Puritan founding, it retains the original nine square grid set down in 1637-38. At the same time, New Haven has, over the centuries, been remade many times over. Note how its waterfront has changed with industrialization and transportation developments, its neighborhoods bisected and in some cases wholly destroyed by twentieth century urban redevelopment. At City of Elms, we hope soon to launch a website with a cartographic interface that traces the city's changes cartographically, permits students to pin research and writing in primary and secondary sources to these maps, and opens New Haven's history to new audiences in strikingly visual ways. See below, for a taste of these wonderful maps.


The Wadsworth Map, 1784




The Doolittle Map, 1817




The Barber Map, 1832




U.S. Coast Survey Hydrographic Chart of New Haven Harbor, 1846




Plan of the City of New Haven, 1852




U.S. Coast Survey Hydrographic Chart of New Haven Harbor, 1872




The City of New Haven, Conn, 1879




Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, 1886




New Haven Ward Map, 1893




Walker Map, 1893




Home Owners' Loan Corporation (HOLC) Map of New Haven, 1937




U.S. Geological Survey Map, 1943




Urban Redevelopment Plan, City of New Haven, 1955

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