Maps serve more than telling the geography of a place; they’re an account of how people once lived and saw the world around them. The type of settlement they lived in, their livelihood, and more. When it comes to the Oldest Maps of USA, these maps tell fascinating stories of exploration, colonization, and early imagination.
These maps are of various kinds, ranging from hand-drawn colonial charts to ancient interpretations of the New World. This article creates a timleline for the most recent to the oldest map on Earth.
| Name | Age of the Map | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Map of the United States by Samuel Augustus Mitchell | 175 Years Old | Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. |
| Lewis and Clark Expedition Map | 211 Years Old | American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia |
| Map by Thomas Hutchins | 247 Years Old | Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. |
| John Smith’s Map of Virginia | 413 Years Old | British Museum, London |
| Map by Sebastian Münster | 485 Years Old | Basel University Library, Switzerland |
| The Cantino Planisphere | 523 Years Old | Biblioteca Estense, Modena, Italy |
| The Martellus World Map | Over 530 Years Old | Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Yale University |
1. Map of the United States by Samuel Augustus Mitchell (1850)
Age of the Map: 175 Years Old
Location: Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Title: Mitchell’s Map of the United States (c. 1850)
This remarkable 19th-century artifact, is popularly called the Mitchell’s Map, and is from the antebellum period. Published around 1850 by Samuel Augustus Mitchell, a pioneering American geographer and publisher. The map is an important part of history as it records a critical period of westward expansion, territorial acquisition, and infrastrtcure development.
It highlights the developments of the time, including the addition of newly admitted states, the delineation of territorial boundaries, and the growing influence of communication via railroads and postal routes. The map is vibrant with hand-colored engravings, fine typography, and clear detailing, making it not just a functional guide but also a work of visual.
Fun Fact:
Mitchell’s maps were produced in the wake of landmark events such as the Mexican-American War (1846–1848) and the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which ceded vast tracts of land to the U.S., including present-day California, Arizona, and New Mexico. As Americans grappled with the implications of Manifest Destiny, maps like Mitchell’s became vital tools for understanding and imagining the nation’s expanding borders.
2. Lewis and Clark Expedition Map (1814)
Age of the Map: 211 Years Old
Location: American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia
Title: Map Based on the Lewis and Clark Expedition (c. 1813)
The Lewis and Clark Expedition Map was created a few years after the expedition had happened. It stands as one of the earliest cartographic records to depict the American West with first-hand accuracy. It was published circa 1813, it offered an unprecedented view of the Louisana Territory and the lands stretching beyond the Mississippi River, based on detailed observations, surveys, and journals of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark.
The map was a powerful political and cultural document. It emerged after the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, a monumental acquisition that doubled the size of the United States. This map helped Americans visualize their continental potential, from the Settled Atlantic Coast, across the rugged plains, to the Pacific Ocean.
This map also laid down the groundwork for the national belief in Manifest Destiny. It turned abstract ideologies into tangible geography, effectively fulfilling the idea of a coast-to-coast nation with the physical reality of exploration and cartographic representation.
Fun Fact:
By drawing a continuous line from the East Coast to the Pacific frontier, this map helped popularize westward expansion in the American imagination. For many, it was the first time the Pacific Ocean was seen not as a distant shore, but as an achievable endpoint in a transcontinental journey. As such, this map became a symbolic and strategic asset, encouraging settlement, trade, and further exploration.
3. Map by Thomas Hutchins (1778) – “A New Map of the Western Parts of Virginia, Pennsylvania…”
Age of the Map: 247 Years Old
Location: Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Title: Thomas Hutchins’ Map of the Western Frontier (c. 1777)
This map was created amidst the American Revolutionary War. This map by Thomas Hutchins is one of the earliest scientifically surveyed representations of the American western frontier. Published around 1777, it holds immense cultural significance, not only for it’s geographic accuracy but also its political utility and methodologies used.
Hutchins was the only official Geographer to the Continental Congress, and hence is contributions to the map were essential. The map provided information of the territories of the Appalachian Mountains, encompassing large swaths of land that would later become the Midwest, including parts of preent day Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky.
This map played a dual role: It was both a military asset and a visionary blueprint for the future expansion of the United States. For revolutionary commanders and Congress alike, having a detailed understanding of the western lands was critical for troop movement, supply lines, and alliances with Native American nations. At the same time, land speculators, settlers, and legislators viewed Hutchins’ work as a foundation for the orderly division, sale, and governance of these frontier lands.
Notably, Hutchins’ map was instrumental in shaping the principles that would later be codified in the Land Ordinance of 1785—a landmark legislative framework that established how western lands would be surveyed and sold, laying the groundwork for America’s township-and-range system still in use today.
Fun Fact:
Thomas Hutchins’ map was one of the first American-produced maps to blend Enlightenment-era scientific rigor with political ambition. It was not just a document of places, rivers, and territories—it was a manifestation of the young Republic’s belief in order, progress, and rational expansion. His work helped shift American cartography from a realm of artistry and speculation to one of empirical precision and statecraft.
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4. John Smith’s Map of Virginia (1612)
Age of the Map: 413 Years Old
Location: British Museum, London
Title: Captain John Smith’s Map of Virginia (1612)
Captain John Smith’s 1612 map is the earliest accurate depiction of the Chesapeake Bay and Virginia region. The direct exploration occurred between 1607 and 1609. It includes key geographic landmarks, English settlements like Jamestown, and over 200 indigenous villages, making it both a navigational tool and a colonial propaganda piece encouraging English investment and settlement.
Fun Fact:
Smith included illustrations and notes on Powhatan society, offering one of the first ethnographic records of Native American life in the early 17th century.
5. The “New World” Map by Sebastian Münster (1540)
Age of the Map: 485 Years Old
Location: Basel University Library, Switzerland
Title: Sebastian Münster’s Map of the New World (1540s)
Sebastian Münster created this map. This map is one of the earliest printed representations of the Americas, making it a turning point in European imagination of the geographic Age of Discovery. Though not geographically accurate, by joining North America and Asia joined, this played a major role in Eropean perceptipons of the New World
Fun Fact:
The map reflects the period’s limited understanding of global geography, still depicting the Americas as an extension of Asia, a misconception that would persist until later explorations clarified continental boundaries.
6. The Cantino Planisphere (1502)
Age of the Map: 523 Years Old
Location: Biblioteca Estense, Modena, Italy
Title: The Cantino Planisphere (1502)
The Cantino Planisphere is one of the earliest surviving world maps to depict parts of the Americas, based on secret Portuguese exploration data. Created in 1502, it features a distorted outline of the Gulf of Mexico and Florida, decades before the concept of the “United States” was imagined. It offers a rare glimpse into the earliest European encounters with the New World.
Fun Fact:
The map was so prized that it was stolen from Portugal and smuggled into Italy—wrapped around a wooden rod—by Alberto Cantino, an agent for the Duke of Ferrara.
7. The Martellus World Map (c. 1491)
Age of the Map: Over 530 Years Old
Location: Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Yale University
Title: Martellus World Map (c. 1491)
German cartographer Henricus Martellys created the map. The map dates around 1491 and is thought to have influenced Christopher Columbus. Though made before his first voyage, it includes landmasses west of Europe and Africa. It hinted at the future location of the Americas, even though it was not named.
Fun Fact:
The map’s faded details were virtually unreadable until modern scholars used multispectral imaging to uncover hidden text and features, bringing new life to this centuries-old artifact.
Final Thoughts
Exploring the Oldest Maps of the USA offers a fascinating look at how geography, exploration and imagination intersected across the centuries. From colorful 19th-century state maps to speculative sketches of an unknown continent, these maps work humanity’s evolving understanding of the land that would become the United States.
