1882 U.S. Coast Survey Map of the Chesapeake Bay and Delaware Bay (Virginia, Delaware, Maryland)

One of the rarest and most desirable U.S. Coast Survey maps of the Chesapeake Bay.

An extraordinary 1882 U.S. Coast Survey nautical chart or maritime map of the Chesapeake Bay and Delaware Bay. This is one of the rarest and most desirable charts issued by the U.S. Coast Survey. Centered in the Chesapeake Bay this ma covers from Norfolk Virginia and Cape Henry north to Cape Map and Charlestown. The map includes the cities of Washington D.C., Baltimore, Richmond, Fredericksburg and Petersburg, among lesser centers. While this map offers only minimal inland detail, the maritime detail is extraordinary. Offers thousands of depth soundingx throughout and identifies various important bays, sounds, islands, shoals and other undersea dangers, lighthouses, beacons, rivers, etc. Detailed sailing instructions for the Chesapeake Bay appear in the lower left quadrant. Sailing instructions for the Delaware Bay appear in the upper right. Notes on lighthouses in the lower left quadrant and on tides in the upper right.

This chart originally prepared in 1855 under the supervision of F.R. Hassler and A. D. Bache, two of the most influential Superintendents in the history of the Coast Survey. The present example has been updated to 1882. It is noteworthy that this chart is a standalone issue on thick stock, not the more common folding variant issued with the annual Superintendent's Report

Cartographer

The Office of the Coast Survey (1807 - present), founded in 1807 by President Thomas Jefferson and Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin, is the oldest scientific organization in the U.S. Federal Government. Jefferson created the "Survey of the Coast," as it was then called, to produce accurate navigational charts of the new nation's coasts and harbors. The first two superintendents defined the spirit of the Coast Survey. The Coast Survey's first superintendent was Swiss immigrant and West Point mathematics professor Ferdinand Hassler. Under Hassler's direction, from 1816 to 1843, the Coast Survey established its ideological and scientific foundations. These included the use of the most advanced techniques and most sophisticated equipment, along with unstinting attention to detail. Hassler devised a labor-intensive triangulation system that divided the entire coast into a series of enormous triangles. These were then subdivided into smaller triangulation units, which were individually surveyed. No one had ever attempted this exacting technique on such a massive scale. As a result, Hassler and the Coast Survey under his leadership earned a reputation for uncompromising dedication to accuracy and excellence. Unfortunately, despite being a masterful surveyor, Hassler was abrasive and politically unpopular, and Congress cut funding for the Coast Survey twice. Nonetheless, Hassler led the Coast Survey until his death in 1843, when Alexander Dallas Bache, Benjamin Franklin's great-grandson, took the helm. Bache was fully dedicated to the principles established by Hassler, but proved more politically astute and successfully lobbied Congress to fund the endeavor generously. Under A. D. Bache's leadership, the Coast Survey completed its most important work. During his long tenure with the Coast Survey, from 1843 to 1865, Bache steadfastly advocated American science and navigation and, in fact, founded the American Academy of Sciences. Benjamin Pierce succeeded Bache and ran the Survey from 1867 to 1874. Pierce was succeeded by Carlile Pollock Patterson, Superintendent from 1874 to 1881. In 1878, under Patterson's superintendence, the U.S. Coast Survey was reorganized as the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey (USCGS) to accommodate both topographic and nautical surveys. Today, the Coast Survey is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as the National Geodetic Survey.   Further Details...

Condition

Very good condition.

References

Swem, E. G., Maps Relating to Virginia, no. 1212.