Vintage Maps of America 🗺️

A visual journey through our nation's history on Independence Day 🇺🇸

By Elizabeth Poland Shugg

Colonial era map courtesy of VintageImageryX

Vintage maps command respect. They invite us to consider what lies between their borders. And, they issue a humble calling:

“Imagine this land before your predecessors discovered it. Appreciate and care for what remains.”

Those of us who live in what was once Colonial America serve as caretakers of sacred land. Every year on this day, we celebrate its transformation from British provinces into an independent nation.

America’s earliest roads—many of which now operate as interstates, but some that wind pristinely through generational farmland and small town centers—beckon us to explore them. Vintage maps help us find their treasures.