Boston Harbour in New England — [1689]Leventhal Map & Education Center / Boston Public Library; Seller, John, fl. 1658-1698, Southack, Cyprian, 1662-1745 Image source ↗
historical
Boston Harbour in New England
regional · 1600s
Study a harbor map from the seventeenth century.
A question to investigate
Why would a sailor need more than a coastline?
Dig deeper · grades 6–8
Compare the map’s creator, date, purpose, scale, and missing information with a second map. Explain what changed and what stayed connected.
[Chart of Nantucket Island and the eastern half of Martha's Vineyard] — 1776Leventhal Map & Education Center / Boston Public Library; Des Barres, Joseph F. W. (Joseph Frederick Wallet), 1722-1824 Image source ↗
historical
Nantucket and eastern Martha’s Vineyard
Vineyard · 1700s
Study an eighteenth-century chart of the two islands.
A question to investigate
What information would help a ship avoid shallow water?
Dig deeper · grades 6–8
Compare the map’s creator, date, purpose, scale, and missing information with a second map. Explain what changed and what stayed connected.
Map of the island of Martha's Vineyard with its dependencies — [1782]Massachusetts Historical Society / Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center; St. John de Crèvecoeur, J. Hector, 1735-1813 Image source ↗
historical
Martha’s Vineyard and its dependencies
Vineyard · 1700s
See how the island was drawn in an eighteenth-century printed map.
A question to investigate
Which neighboring islands are included?
Dig deeper · grades 6–8
Compare the map’s creator, date, purpose, scale, and missing information with a second map. Explain what changed and what stayed connected.
Map of the railroads of the state of Massachusetts : accompanying the report of the railroad commissioners : 1899 — 1900Boston Public Library / Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center; Massachusetts. Board of Railroad Commissioners Image source ↗
transportation
Massachusetts railroads
statewide · 1900s
Follow railroad lines across Massachusetts at the start of the 1900s.
A question to investigate
Which towns appear to be rail crossroads?
Dig deeper · grades 6–8
Compare the map’s creator, date, purpose, scale, and missing information with a second map. Explain what changed and what stayed connected.
New England regional transportation map = Mapa do transporte regional da Nova Inglaterra = Nueva Inglaterra, mapa regional de transporte = Carte de transport régionale de la Nouvelle Angleterre = 新英格蘭區域交通路線圖 — [2015?]Leventhal Map & Education Center / Boston Public Library; Massachusetts. Department of Transportation, Connecticut. Department of Transportation, Maine. Department of Transportation, New Hampshire. Department of Transportation, Rhode Island. Department of Transportation, Vermont. Agency of Transportation Image source ↗
transportation
New England regional transportation map
regional · 2000s
Compare regional travel connections, including Vineyard ferry-route insets.
A question to investigate
How would you combine two kinds of transportation?
Dig deeper · grades 6–8
Compare the map’s creator, date, purpose, scale, and missing information with a second map. Explain what changed and what stayed connected.
Sources checked September 23, 2026. Open the source for current programs, hours, access, and map updates. Historical maps may contain outdated language or incomplete representations of Native homelands.
![[Chart of Nantucket Island and the eastern half of Martha's Vineyard]](assets/atlas-exact/7h149z539.jpg)
