1866 U.S.C.S. Map of Cape Fear and Vicinity, North Carolina
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Description: One of the largest and most striking examples of the U.S Coast Survey's Map of North Carolina’s Cape Fear. Extends from Federal Point south to the top of Cape Fear and then west past Smithville and Fort Caswell to Oak Island (roughly 78.04 Longitude). Upper right quadrant features a detailed inset of the Frying Pan Shoals that extend south from the top of Cape Fear. Offers superb coastal detail of the North Carolina mainland as well as Smith’s Island and Federal Point. From a nautical perspective the map offers a wealth of depths soundings and sailing instructions, as well as information on shoals, light houses, and tides. Represents the culmination of the Coast Survey’s work in this region. The preliminary work for this region was completed in 1857. The triangulation for this chart was calculated by C. P. Bolles. The topography was completed by C. P. Bolles and J. S Bradford. Hydrography was accomplished by T. A. Jenkins, J. N . Maffitt and J. S. Bradford. This chart was prepared under the supervision of A. D. Bache, one of the most influential Superintendents in the history of the Coast Survey. Issued in the 1867 supplement to the 1865 Superintendent's Report.
Date: 1866 (dated)
Source: Report of the Superintendant of the United States Coast Survey, Washington, (1867 Supplement to the 1865 edition).
References: University of North Carolina, North Carolina Collection, Cm912m U58cf1.
Cartographer: The Office of the Coast Survey, founded in 1807 by President Thomas Jefferson and Secretary of Commerce Albert Gallatin, is the oldest scientific organization in the U.S. Federal Government. Jefferson created the "Survey of the Coast," as it was then called, in response to a need for accurate navigational charts of the new nation's coasts and harbors. The first superintendent of the Coast Survey was Swiss immigrant and West Point mathematics professor Ferdinand Hassler. Under the direction of Hassler, from 1816 to 1843, the ideological and scientific foundations for the Coast Survey were established. Hassler, and the Coast Survey under him developed a reputation for uncompromising dedication to the principles of accuracy and excellence. Hassler lead the Coast Survey until his death in 1843, at which time Alexander Dallas Bache, a great-grandson of Benjamin Franklin, took the helm. Under the leadership A. D. Bache, the Coast Survey did most of its most important work. During his Superintendence, from 1843 to 1865, Bache was steadfast advocate of American science and navigation and in fact founded the American Academy of Sciences. Bache was succeeded by Benjamin Pierce who ran the Survey from 1867 to 1874. Pierce was in turn succeeded by Carlile Pollock Patterson who was Superintendent from 1874 to 1881. In 1878, under Patterson's superintendence, the U.S. Coast Survey was reorganized as the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey (C & GS or USGS) to accommodate topographic as well as nautical surveys. Today the Coast Survey is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or NOAA. Click here for a list of rare maps from the U. S. Coast Survey.
Size: Printed area measures 31 x 26 inches (78.74 x 66.04 centimeters)
Condition: Very Good condition. Minor discoloration along original fold lines. Minor wear and loss at a couple of fold intersections. Verso repairs on original folds. Margins wide and clean.
Code: CapeFearRiver3-uscs-1866 (Necessary for phone inquiries: 646-320-8650)
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