Exploring Washington in the 1850s: Mapping Buildings, Roads, and Rural Property

Published March 12, 2014Updated December 8, 20211 min readby ghostsofdc

Now this has to be one of the best maps we’ve come across recently. It shows Washington in the 1850s, marking all the buildings, roads, and rural property owners. It’s really fascinating to see all the large plots of land outside Boundary Street.

Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1861, by D. McClelland, Blanchard & Mohun, Hugh B. Sweeny, and Thos. Blagden, in the Clerks Office of the District Court of the District of Columbia.

Source: Library of Congress

1 thought on “Exploring Washington in the 1850s: Mapping Buildings, Roads, and Rural Property”

D. Rathbun

March 14, 2014 at 4:04 pm

As great as this map is, it gets even better: http://rumsey.geogarage.com/maps/gcw0678500a.html

The link is this map superimposed on a satellite/modern map with a toggle to fade back and forth between the two!

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