“Old Maps” owner, Dave Allen, is publishing most of his extensive collection of scans of old Vermont State maps for free review and download from his website old-maps.com. Almost 100 maps have been published, and close to half them are pre-1800. This collection includes a copy of the oldest map to use the name Vermont (1780) and the delightful 1784 Sawyer map which shows the wilderness filling up with towns and labeled “Now Commonly called Vermont”. Several maps show long-forgotten town names such as Billymead, Navy, Fulham and Phildelphia. One of Allen’s favorites is the 1796 map which shows “Camel’s Rump” as the title of that well known mountain. “It’s not a misspelling, that’s what those old-timers called it” said Allen. “The same usage appears on several other maps all the way through mid-century. Not until 1842 have I found a map with the modern, more polite spelling”

Over the last decade, Allen has acquired these images from a variety of sources including the Library of Congress, the Vermont and New Hampshire Historical Societies and other public and private archives. “Instead of storing them on my computer, let other people have access to these wonderful old maps” said Allen. He hopes this will encourage study and analysis, and also more visits to his website.

To view this free collection, visit the website at www.old-maps.com. If you have any questions, or would like to order a print, please call 413-772-2801 or email info@old-maps.com.

Allen will have a booth and a display of old maps prints at Vermont History Expo next weekend, June 26-27 at Tunbridge, VT.