Explore the Coast and the Harbor Islands from a Bird’s-Eye View

In Boston, one of the markers that summer is on the horizon is the relaunching of the Boston Harbor Islands Ferry! To coincide with the spring schedule kicking off on May 15, we are displaying a 1905 map titled, "Bird’s Eye View of Boston Harbor and South Shore to Provincetown: Showing Steamboat Routes" in our Collections Spotlight case. This map prominently features Boston Harbor and the many islands found within, and also illustrates part of Boston, the South Shore, and Cape Cod from a bird's-eye perspective (not the cloudy view over parts of Boston, to emphasize that you are viewing it from above).

While this map has been unfolded and is currently stored flat, it originally would have been folded into a 4 inch by 8 inch rectangle partially affixed to a cardstock front and back cover. For preservation and access purposes, the covers have been removed and are normally stored in an acid-free paper sleeve in a folder along with the map. But this month, the cover is on display as a complement to the map. The cover features the title printed in an eye-catching font and informs us that the price was 10 cents (which would calculate to about $3.75 today, though maybe more if you were purchasing it from a touristy spot downtown!). It was published by John F. Murphy, a news agent and businessman who operated newsstands in railroad stations in the region, including South Station, where this map was likely sold. Also on display is a facsimile of the inside of the front cover, where an index to the map was printed. This is an especially useful resource as it indicates notable buildings and landmarks. For lighthouse fans, this map includes many, including Race Point Light (#32) jutting out from Cape Cod, Gurnet Light (#27) in Plymouth, and Boston Light (#23) in Boston Harbor. What’s missing from the list is Graves Light, also in Boston Harbor, as that lighthouse wasn’t constructed until 1905 and likely missed the publication date of this map.

Beyond lighthouses, there are many details to discover on this map. Note the numerous shipping routes leaving Boston, which could take you as close as Nantasket or as far as Europe. And the tourist-centered entries, like Hotel Pemberton (#18) at the end of Hull and the Myles Standish Monument (#28) in Duxbury. But one of the most interesting details is how many buildings are located on the Harbor Islands. Today, we generally consider recreation to be the Harbor Islands' primary function, but at the turn of the 20th century, they served a more utilitarian purpose. If you visit the islands today, you'll come across some foundations and building remnants that shed light on their past lives. Featured on this map are some of the following buildings: 

• A farm school on Thompson’s Island (#6)
• The City of Boston Almshouse and Hospital on Long Island (#9)
• The City of Boston Quarantine Station on Gallop’s island (#14)
• The City of Boston House of Reformation for Children on Rainsford Island (#16)

Also identified on the map are Fort Andrew (#17) on Peddocks Island and Fort Warren (#15) on George's Island, which exist as historical structures today.

We have previously highlighted a similar bird’s-eye view map that also shows the Harbor Islands and the eastern coastline from Boston to the Cape via the South Shore. This map is a bit more recent, published in 1920, and provides a more detailed view of Boston. You can check it out in this blog post and then compare it to the 1905 map, which is on display in our reading room from May 5 through June 16. Stop by to see it before you catch the ferry to the Harbor Islands!

Elizabeth Roscio

Preservation Librarian

Bird's-Eye View of Cottage City, 1887

This February, in recognition of Black History Month, we are displaying “Cottage City, Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, 1887” in our Collection Spotlight case. This map is bird’s-eye view that depicts the town we now know of as Oak Bluffs. From the 1800s onward, Oak Bluffs has been a residential and vacation destination for Black men and women.

The displayed map dates to 1887, which is twenty years before Cottage City was renamed as Oak Bluffs. Cottage City was originally part of Edgartown, which is located to its south, but it was incorporated as its own town in 1880. The name of Cottage City originates from its identity as seasonal destination, as most inhabitants were only living there during the summer. The name changed to Oak Bluffs in 1907 because the town was developing into a more full-time residential area. Since the name Cottage City was only used for twenty-seven years, that makes the map in our collection even more special, as it captures the area during a brief period.

The original inhabitants of Noepe (now Martha’s Vineyard) were Wampanoag and the name meant “land amid the streams.” Colonial settlers first arrived in the 1640s, cultivating the land in the area now known as Edgartown. The first Black individuals on Martha’s Vineyard were enslaved, before the Commonwealth of Massachusetts abolished slavery in 1783. After the Civil War, more freed Black people moved to the island to work in the fishing and whaling trade, and this in turn drew more Black men and women to the area from mainland Massachusetts. In the late 1800s and into the 1900s, some Black men and women came to the island to work as service staff to wealthy white families who owned summer homes there, and eventually some of those individuals stayed on the island and bought property in the Oak Bluffs area. As the 1900s progressed, more and more middle-class Black families began to visit Oak Bluffs, either buying or renting properties, and thus creating an increased sense of community. The Martha’s Vineyard African-American Heritage Trail was formed in 1998 in an effort to raise awareness of the island’s Black history. They have currently dedicated thirty-one sites throughout the island that show the contributions of the African-American community. Of thirty-one sites, seven of them are located in the town of Oak Bluffs. You can read much more about the Heritage Trail here and specifically about the seven sites in Oak Bluffs here.

Starting in the 1800s, one of the draws to Oak Bluffs was the Camp Meeting Association, or Wesleyan Grove (number 13, 14, and 15 on the map). This was part of the camp meeting movement, which were multi-day open air Christian religious services that featured sermons, singing, and community. Participants in the summer camp meetings would arrive on the island days before the event, and stay for a time afterward. Originally, they resided in tents, but then built more permanent cottage structures – hence the name “Cottage City.” According to the Martha’s Vineyard Camp Meeting Association website, Frederick Douglass spoke at the Campground in 1876. Both Black and white individuals owned or leased cottages in the Campground area, though segregation did occur. You can read more about the racial history of the Camp Meeting Association on their website.

The stretch of beach shown on the map is now known as Inkwell Beach. This is the town beach, and it was frequented by Black individuals, especially given that beaches in other parts of the island were predominantly white and Black beachgoers may have felt unwelcome relaxing there. The exact original meaning behind this nickname is not known, but one theory is that it was used negatively by white people commenting on the skin color of those enjoying the beach. The Black community, though, has rejected this negative connotation and has claimed the name as its own, thus taking something that might have originally been negative and turning it positive, and taking pride in an area that has a history of being a safe and enjoyable enclave for Black men and women.

Stop by the library from February 2 through February 29 to see this map on display in our main reading room. And for those who can’t visit us in person, a high-resolution version of the map an be accessed through our digital repository. Last February, we displayed a bird’s-eye view map of Nantucket, and highlighted some Black History locations found on it. Check out that blog post here.



Elizabeth Roscio
Preservation Librarian

On Display in the State Library

This February, in recognition of Black History Month, we’re exhibiting a Bird's Eye View of the Town of Nantucket, State of Massachusetts: Looking Southwest, which was published in Boston in 1881. Beginning in the 18th century, Nantucket was home to a community of free Black individuals. By using the Museum of African American History’s Black Heritage Trail brochure, and resources available through the Nantucket Historical Association, we were able to locate and identify a few significant Black history locations on the bird’s-eye view map.

 

Bird’s-eye view maps rose in popularity from the mid-1800s into the early 1900s and served in part as a way for a city or town to promote their community, industry, and amenities. Bird’s-eye view maps are not technical wayfinding maps and won’t identify all of a town’s streets or buildings but will rather highlight the locations that would be attractive to future residents or visitors. On the Nantucket map, attention has been drawn to the town’s many hotels and churches, and it is one of the churches that we’re going to highlight first. Located to the left of the center of town and with the most prominent spire is the South (Unitarian) Church - identified on the map by number 11. The South Church is significant because its records show that Captain Absalom Boston was married there in 1814. Absalom Boston was born on Nantucket in 1785 to parents Seneca Boston, an African-American ex-slave father, and Thankful Micah, a Wampanoag Indian mother. From an early age, Absalom worked in the whaling industry and by 1822 he was named the captain of the whaling boat Industry. The Industry was the first all-black crew to embark on a whaling expedition. It returned to Nantucket six months later with the entire crew intact. You can read more about Absalom in Whaling Captains of Color by Skip Finley.

The next landmark to highlight is an area called Five Corners, which is identified on the map by five streets converging into one intersection. Five Corners was part of New Guinea, which was the area where free Black people lived and built community in the 1800s and 1900s. One notable building located at Five Corners is identified on the map as Pleasant Street Baptist (#15). From the Nantucket Historical Association, we learned that this was one of the names associated with the African Meeting House. The meeting house was constructed in 1827 and it was “a multipurpose center. It housed both the African Baptist Church (later renamed the Pleasant Street Baptist Church) and the African School, and it was used as a community center for neighborhood gatherings.” The meeting house was the space where residents of New Guinea worshipped, attended school, and gathered, and it was seen as the epicenter of the community. As it nears its 200th birthday, the meeting house is the only 19th century public building constructed and occupied by African Americans that is still in existence today. It is maintained by the Museum of African American History and is a National Trust Historic Site.

The Nantucket Atheneum, identified by number 1 on the map, also played a role in Black history on the island. In 1841, Frederick Douglass was living in New Bedford. He was asked by Nantucket resident William Coffin to speak at Nantucket’s Anti-Slavery Convention, which was held at the Atheneum. It would be the first time that Douglass would speak about his experience in slavery in front of a group of white people. The speech was well-received and proved to be a pivotal event for Douglass; abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison, founder of the American Anti-Slavery Society, was in the crowd and after hearing Douglass speak, he invited him to continue speaking at abolitionist events. Douglass went on to become a member and leader of the Society and participated in its speaking circuit for a number of years.

Stop by the library from February 1 through February 28 to see this map on display in our main reading room. And for those who can’t visit us in person, a high-resolution version of the map an be accessed through our digital repository. There is much more Black history on Nantucket than we can highlight in this blog post, so we hope it serves as a jumping off point to continue your own research, by checking out the organizations linked within this post, exploring the Heritage Trail the next time you’re on Nantucket, and by finding sources at your local library.

Elizabeth Roscio

Preservation Librarian