Queens

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Exploring Ethnicity and Religion in a Map of Jamaica, Queens – 4th Ward in 1907

Authored by Malcolm Harris

Map of the roads, buildings, and major landmarks of downtown Jamaica, Queens. Created with a black color printing on a tan sheet. Includes a red-lettered advertisement by Meynen, Booth, and Eno Long Island Real Estate

Surveyed and Designed in 1907 by D. J. Evans and Co. and published by Meynen, Booth, and Eno Long Island Real Estate

 

This map of Jamaica, Queens created in 1907 by the surveyor firm D. J. Evans and Co. is a representation of the urban development that occurred following a surge in new residents to the city. From the beginning of 1900 – with the population of Jamaica, Queens being estimated at almost 153,000 – there is steady growth that occurs leading to the city being the home for just over 248,000 people by 1910.[1] This map is created for the local real estate company of Meynen, Booth, and Eno[2], who like other small relators in the area looked to capitalize on the recent redevelopments of the LIRR, which was electrified for faster service by rail by 1908 as well as the opening of the Queensboro bridge to direct vehicle travel from Manhattan to the outer parts of Long Island.[3] [4]

 

 

 

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Mapping the History of College Point: The Impact of Immigrants on a Neighborhood in Queens

Authored by Megan Smead

Image of Fire Insurance Map of College Point, Queens watermarked with New York Public Library logo

Map of College Point, Queens, NY from the Sanborn Map Company, Atlas 141, Queens V. 5, Plate No. 15, 1903, made available by the Lionel Pincus and Princess Firyal Map Division of the New York Public Library.2

The Sanborn Map Company created fire insurance maps beginning in the mid-nineteenth century, showing the location and construction of buildings and roads in major cities across the United States, which allowed insurance companies to assess fire risk.1 The Lionel Pincus and Princess Firyal Map Division of the New York Public Library has digitized many atlases and maps, including the Sanborn map in Figure 1, which represents College Point, Queens, NY in 1903. As part of an Academic Service-Learning experience through St. John’s University, I georectified this map, and others from the same atlas of Queens. The georectification process entails using the NYPL Map Warper tool to match coordinates from the historical map to a current map in order to align the two maps. Georectification of historical maps allows genealogists, historians, architects, urban planners and members of the public to observe geographic and demographic changes over time, and to make connections to the past. Volunteering my time and skills in service to the public by georectifiying maps allows me to strive towards fulfilling the Vincentian mission of service that is essential to St. John’s University. Continue reading →

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“Warping” through Queens history with the NYPL Map Warper tool

insurance maps of the borough of queens, vol 2, 1915

Insurance Maps of the Borough of Queens, City of New York, Volume Two, published in 1915 and digitally reproduced on the NYPL Map Warper according to a CC0 1.0 license.

Authored by Maddy Vericker

The NYPL Map Warper is a collection of New York-area maps and atlases that have been digitized and published online under a Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication license.[1] The coolest thing about the Map Warper tool is that it is also a crowdsourcing project that relies on volunteers to pin old maps to modern satellite maps, a process called georectification.[2]  Exploring the maps that populate the website reveals much about the history of a city that is constantly evolving, and in researching the Sanborn Map Co.’s Insurance Maps of the Borough of Queens, City of New York, Volume Two,[3] these changes are even more apparent. Continue reading →