Recently the Special Collections department digitized a 1798 map of the Commonwealth and added it to the library's digital archive. "An accurate map of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts exclusive of the district of Maine..." is an original map depicting towns, county seats, boundary lines and natural features as they existed at the end of the 18th century. The map also includes with each town the distance to Boston, and the distance to the county seat. The title in the lower left corner is given prominence and is surrounded by items of a nautical theme. The original map is on four sheets, which were scanned individually and digitally stitched together.This map is not only beautiful - and in remarkable shape for its age - but it also provides a wealth of knowledge for researchers of Massachusetts history. The original is available for viewing in the Special Collections department and a digital version is available in DSpace.
- Lacy Crews Stoneburner, Preservation Librarian
