One of the Earliest Maps of Connecticut

ANONYMOUS/ GENTLEMEN'S MAGAZINE. [London, 1776]

Connecticut/ Long Island Sound/ Rhode Island. GENTLEMEN’S MAGAZINE [London: November, 1776] A Map of Connecticut and Rhode Island with Long Island Sound,&c. 6 ¾ x 8 ⅞ inches. Copperplate engraving. slight text offsetting on right side, else excellent.                                                                                                                                                                                   
Although this is the fourth earliest, printed map of Connecticut, two of the three earlier ones are unobtainable.  Connecticut (with Rhode Island) is here depicted at the beginning of the Revolutionary War.  In addition to the coastal-running Post Road, the state’s other main roads at the time can be seen along the Connecticut and Housatonic rivers.  Most towns and cities existing at the time are also shown.

In the center of Connecticut’s northern border can be seen the Southwick Jog, also called the Southwick Notch, Congamond Notch, Granby Notch, or simply The Notch, which existed between 1642 and 1804.  This area of land was contested by Connecticut and Massachusetts and is believed to have been the result of an error by a Connecticut surveyor.

The Gentlemen’s Magazine was a highly regarded English periodical that ran from 1731 to 1922.  It was the first publication to use the term “magazine.”  It was a monthly digest of the latest newsworthy developments in world affairs, politics, and the arts and sciences.  Samuel Johnson cut his teeth as a professional writer working for the publication.  Articles were often accompanied by excellent maps relevant to the subjects under discussion.

Thompson’s Maps of Connecticut, No. 25.

Price: $550.00