Map of the Month - April 2013

Sometimes it is the small details that spark research missions for me; or at least this happened when I looked at this tiny map that is jam-packed with details.

The village of Brooklyn in 1816. Jeremiah Lott. ca. 1800s. Brooklyn Historical Society Map Collection.

(Click on the image to see more detail)

Focusing in on the lower-right hand side of the map, I searched to see if I could find more information on the distillery that caught my eye.  I grabbed the library's trusty reprint copy of Stiles' A History of the City of Brooklyn and found that the original "Distillery Dock" was put up circa 1766 by a member of the Livingston family but had been burnt down. The distillery labeled on this map was erected by the patriarch of Brooklyn Heights, Hezekiah B. Pierrepont,  and was called "Anchor-Gin" distillery. Pretty cool!  Seems like there is a lot more that can be researched about this distillery, as well as all the other amazing details offered up on this map.

Interested in seeing more maps or research this one further? Come check this and other maps out anytime during the library's open hours, Wed.-Fri., from 1-5 p.m. No appointment is necessary to view most maps. Our cataloged maps can be searched through BobCat and our map inventories through Emma.

Map of the Month is part of a project to catalog our map holdings, funded through the Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Collections program. If you would like to help us do more of this kind of work with our exciting map holdings, donate here.