Boston Maps from the David Rumsey Historical Map Collection

Eighteen historical maps of the Boston area from 1776 thru 1897 from the David Rumsey Collection are now available for viewing in the GIS Browser. Additional historic maps of U.S. cities will be added in the near future including Washington, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Denver, and Seattle.

The current geospatial data that can be overlaid and compared to the historical maps includes roads, lakes, parks, state boundaries, digital orthophotos (aerial photography), topographic mapsheets, digital elevation models and satellite imagery. Users can create, save, and print custom maps, as well interactively blend/fade/merge and overlay/swipe multiple map layers for enabling real-time visual change analysis over the Internet. Results of the user customized map layer visualizations can be saved and downloaded as new images, complete with the georeferencing information, thereby allowing easy integration into other desktop GIS applications.

View GIS Basic Browser

View GIS Professional Browser

Quick Start Guide

The Professional Browser is recommended for those familiar with GIS software conventions, the Basic Browser for those who are new.
ImageViewer (blue button) compares two layers by blending or swiping.
QuadViewer (blue button) compares four layers side by side.
The current geospatial data is contained in the top five transparent layers and the bottom five solid layers. The middle eleven layers are historical maps. Layers stack in the order of their listing, solid layers may obscure lower layers.
Check a layer to turn it on or off. In the Professional Browser, use the Refresh button after checking a layer to activate the change.
Maplicity and OpenApplet utilize Sun's Java 1.3 JRE. Windows, Solaris, and Linux users will be prompted to download it if not already installed. Mac users must have OS X or greater.
Maplicity will work with Sun Java 1.4, except the Image Viewer which will not let you change layers using the File/Load/Select image menu. Change to Java 1.3 if you need this function, by either downloading Java 1.3 or changing the Java program using your start/control panel/java plug in/advanced menu to switch from Java 1.4 to Java 1.3.
AOL 7.0 Users: you must make a change to the AOL default browser settings as follows - go to the Settings Menu/Preferences/Internet Properties/Web Graphics and set the option to "Never Compress Graphics."
Read the help files available within each Maplicity Browser.

Telemorphic, Inc. built the browser starting with their standard Maplicity™ and MapImager™ products, and added custom application development to support simultaneous review of multiple historical maps in a linked viewer environment. Telemorphic uses ArcIMS™ from ESRI, Inc. to provide the server-side GIS functionality for the site and Metropolis New Media, Inc. for managed GIS hosting services. The geospatial data is provided by MassGIS, USGS, and ESRI, Inc.

Content from the David Rumsey Collection GIS Browser is also published on the Geography Network as a Solution and a Map Service. Search the Geography Network by keyword = rumsey to access the content. ArcGIS and ArcExplorer4 users may access the Image Service directly: Map Server (URL): http://rumsey.metropolisnewmedia.com, Map Service: boston.

Disclaimer: The information, maps, data, and tools on this web site are made available "AS IS" without warranties or conditions of any kind, either expressed or implied, including but not limited to warranties for product quality, or suitability to a particular purpose or use. Cartography Associates, LLC and its contractors shares no liability in any direct, incidental, special, or consequential damages whatsoever, including but not limited to loss of revenue or profit, lost or damaged data, or other commercial or economic loss. The risk or liability resulting from the use of any of the resources available from this site are entirely assumed by the user. Any commercial use of this site is prohibited without express written permission from Cartography Associates, LLC.

If you have comments, suggestions, or need help, contact The David Rumsey Collection at carto@luna-img.com.