A new exhibit opening on March 3, 2025 at Florida House on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. highlights vintage maps of Florida. The maps in the exhibit are reproductions from the University of Florida (UF) George A. Smathers Libraries. They are only some of the stories of the Sunshine State.
With nearly one million items, the University of Florida Map & Imagery Library is one of the largest academic map libraries in the United States. The Library, which is part of the Department of Special & Area Studies Collections, contains maps, aerial photographs, atlases, globes, and geospatial datasets. Over 3,000 antique maps span the 15th century to early 20th century, with distinctive holdings in Florida, Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, and the Middle East. The Map & Imagery Library is committed to preserving historically, culturally, and scientifically significant cartographic materials for use in research and education.
Exhibit Highlights
● 1765 map that is one of the earliest depictions of what would become the State of Florida. The two colonies at the time are shown as a large group of islands with wide navigable water routes, from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean.
● Two maps of St. Augustine from the 1700s detailing buildings and wars.
● Map of Florida before statehood, showing the existing 16 counties, including Mosquito County.
● Six city specific, panoramic, maps from the 1880s that give a unique perspective of the developing areas in Florida. Often created by out-of-state companies, these maps highlighted significant buildings and business owners.
● Transportation maps from the late 1890s and early 1900s advertising Henry Plant’s and Henry Flagler’s robust transit routes.
You can visit the online exhibit starting February 28. The physical exhibit is open until December of 2025.
Exhibit curator: Carol McAuliffe, Map Librarian
UF Exhibit designer: Lourdes Santamaría-Wheeler, Exhibits Director
UF Title design: Tracy E. McKay-Ratliff, Director LibraryPress@UF
Contact
Lourdes Santamaría-Wheeler
Exhibits Director, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida, l.s.wheeler@ufl.edu, (352) 273-2564
