Simon Athearn’s annotated Martha’s Vineyard map, 1698 — later photograph of a display copy.Harvard Forest; display at Manuel F. Correllus State Forest, based on a map at Martha’s Vineyard Museum Image source ↗
historical
Simon Athearn’s annotated Martha’s Vineyard map
Vineyard · 1600s
Study a photographed copy of an early annotated island map.
A question to investigate
Which place names can you find today?
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.
Plan of Edgartown and Tisbury, made by Benjamin Smith, dated June 1, 1795. — 1795Leventhal Map & Education Center / Massachusetts Archives; Smith, Benjamin Image source ↗
historical
Edgartown and Tisbury survey
Vineyard · 1700s
Explore an island town survey made in 1795.
A question to investigate
How do the town divisions compare with today?
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.
Plan of Chilmark made by Thomas Dunham, dated May 1831 — May 1831Leventhal Map & Education Center / Massachusetts Archives; Dunham, Thomas Image source ↗
historical
Chilmark survey
Vineyard · 1800s
Study Thomas Dunham’s 1831 town plan.
A question to investigate
What did the surveyor choose to label?
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.
Edgartown, Duke's County, Martha's Vineyard Id., Mass — [1886?]Boston Public Library / Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center; Walker, G. H. (George H.) Image source ↗
historical
Edgartown from above
Vineyard · 1800s
Explore a bird’s-eye view of Edgartown streets, buildings, and harbor.
A question to investigate
How is a bird’s-eye view different from an overhead map?
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)
