Historical Maps

Online Maps

See online maps in the Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection for historic places around the world.

Maptech hosts a collection of historic USGS topographic maps. See http://historical.maptech.com/ for this ongoing project.

SCGenWeb is an excellent source for historic and geneologic information about South Carolina.

See South Carolina 1895 County Maps (from the 1895 U.S. Atlas) to help you locate places in South Carolina that no longer exist or that now have different names.

Historical South Carolina City Maps can be found online in the Perry-Castaneda Library Map Collection website.

SCIway is another great source for South Carolina historical maps and plats.

Also see the University of Alabama's Map Library's historical maps. Historical South Carolina maps can found on this site.

Historical Atlas by William R. Shepherd is a great resource. (Courtesy of The General Libraries, The University of Texas at Austin.)

Historical County Lines - some nice maps with a little history included.

Piedmont Historical Society SC County Maps - One map shows the year each SC county was created. Another map shows the Judicial Districts in 1799.

The Library of Congress Online Map Collection contains seven categories of maps, from 1500 - 2004, and is another great resource.

Also see the Yale Map Collection for online historical maps.

Map Case Maps

USGS Topo Index/Ordering Use the USGS Store to locate maps by clicking on "Enter USGS Store," then clicking on the "Map Locator" image in the store to help you find a map.

The R.M. Cooper Library has a small collection of topographic historical maps located in the map cases on the 3rd floor of the main library, directly outside the Government Documents Office. Following are some of the series which include historical maps:

1:125,000 scale (30 minute) topo quads
Case 15, drawers 1 - 3
Presently, we have maps of some of the 30 minute quads in California, Georgia, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, North Carolina, South Carolina, Washington, and Wyoming. These maps date from the late 1800's to the early 1900's, and are located in case 15, drawers 1 - 3.

1:62,500 scale (15 minute) topo quads
Case 11, drawers 13 - 15
The 1:62,500-scale series also contains some historical maps. These are located in case 11, drawers 13 - 15. This drawer also houses 1:63,360 scale maps of quads in Alaska.

1:24,000 scale (7.5 minute) topo quads
Case 9, drawers 1 - 14
Some of the South Carolina 7.5' topos include older editions, located in map case 9, drawers 1 - 14. See case 16 for indexes for these.

1:50,000 scale (15 minute) topo quads
Case 11, drawers 1 - 12
The 1:50,000 scale series contains maps dating from the 1940's, 1950's, 1960', 1970's, & 1980's. These maps are located in case 11, drawers 1 - 12.

Miscellaneous historical maps
Case 1, drawers 7 - 11, and case 2, drawers 9 - 13
There are several historical maps and/or reproductions of historical maps in the Miscellaneous Maps located in both map case 1, drawers 7 - 11, and map case 2, drawers 9 - 13. Also see an excellent online collection of historical maps of the United States from the Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection.

For Additional Maps, see U.S. Historical Maps on Other Web Sites (Courtesy of The General Libraries, The University of Texas at Austin.)

Historical Maps held in Special Collections, Strom Thurmond Institute

Special Collections is located in the Strom Thurmond Institute, at the rear of the south lawn of the R.M. Cooper Library. The Strom Thurmond Institute can be accessed by vehicle from either South Palmetto Boulevard or Perimeter Road. The institute is within walking distance from the main library and the Gunnin Architectural Library. Many of the maps located in Special Collectons are cataloged in the librarys' online catalog. To gain access to these maps, you must consult with Special Collections Reading Room personnel. Most of these maps can be pulled and viewed. These maps are non-circulating. Among the many maps held in Special Collections are a number of maps and copies of maps from South Carolina dating back through the Colonial period. Copies of state highway maps and maps of Clemson University are housed here. Aerial photographs of South Carolina (1930's - 1970's) are available. Special Collections also houses Alister-Furman realty records relating to the sale of mill villages throughout the southeast U.S. These include maps of mill villages at the time of sale (manuscript 163). Special Collections also houses many valuable and important historical documents.