Elliot, Charles D.
1880

Rare 1635 [1880] Historical Map of Cambridge, Massachusetts

SOLD

Map of Cambridge as Existing in 1635. Compiled Dec. 1880 from the best obtainable data and with approximate accuracy by Charles D. Elliot C.E.

DESCRIPTION: SOLD

Very rare original historical map of Cambridge, Massachusetts as it existed in 1635, reconstructed from earlier maps and surveys by Somerville civil engineer and surveyor Charles Darwin Elliot in 1880.

This artifact is the only known original full-size example of Elliot's map of Cambridge. In 1901 Elliot's map was reprinted in a reduced format as the frontispiece of the earliest Cambridge town records [1]. All extant copies of the map appear in the reduced size.

Charles D. Elliot (1837-1908) was born in Foxboro, Massachusetts, and studied civil engineering in the offices of W.B. Stearns and Daniel A. Sanborn (mapmaker). During the Civil War Charles D. Elliot served as a topographical engineer in the Army Engineers. Among other assignments during the war, Elliot served in Florida with responsibility for reconnaissance and construction of field fortifications. Elliot's other projects included the Cape Cod Canal and the "Mystic Valley Parkway."

In 1872 Charles D. Elliot became Somerville’s first city engineer. Elliot was also a member of the Somerville Historical Society.

[1] The Records of the Town of Cambridge (Formerly Newtowne) Massachusetts 1630-1703. Cambridge. 1901. Frontispiece. Accessed Online.

Charles Darwin Elliot (1837-1908) was a Massachusetts civil engineer, surveyor, and historian closely associated with Somerville. Born in Foxborough, he graduated from Somerville High School in 1855 and served as an assistant topographical engineer with the Union Army's Department of the Gulf during the Civil War. He opened a surveying office in Somerville's Union Square in 1870 and became the city's first city engineer in 1872. His work included property surveys, railroad and waterworks projects, proposed Cape Cod Canal plans, and surveys for the Middlesex Fells Reservation. Elliot also wrote Somerville's History [2] and helped found the Somerville Historical Society in 1897.

[2] Elliot, Charles D. "Somerville's History" in "Illustrated Souvenir of the City of Somerville". Edward Samuels and Henry Kimball. 1896.

CREATOR: Elliot, Charles D.

PUBLICATION DATE: 1880

GEOGRAPHIC AREA: United States

BODY OF WATER: N/A

CONDITION: Good. Slightly rubbed at left and right. A few marginal chips. Strong and solid.

COLORING: N/A

ENGRAVER:

SIZE: 23 " x 14 "

ITEM PHYSICAL LOCATION:

PRICE: $

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