First map of Steuben County. Map of Ontario and Steuben Counties. Albany, 1798.

Charles Williamson writing "As a Gentleman to his Friend" in the book Description of the Genesee Country, Its Rapidly Progressive Population and Improvements includes this marvelous fold out map. However, what makes this copy unique are the autograph signatures of Nathaniel Gorham and Oliver Phelps in the inscription. The Phelps and Gorham Purchase of the land tract east of the Genesee River was the original purchase from the Seneca in 1788.

Vance Map
D. H. Vance. Map of the Western Part of the State of New York by D. H. Vance. Albany, 1825.

Engraved from a copperplate this interesting map retains its original color. It is a wall map which shows the elevation and locks of the Erie Canal. Completion of the Canal signaled the rise of “boomtowns” such as Rochester in western New York State.

Colden Map
A Map of the Countrey of the Five Nations belonging to the Province of New York and of the Lakes near which the nations of far Indians live with part of Canada taken from the map of the Louisiane done by Mr. DeLisle in 1718. Engraved for Cadwallader Colden, 1724.

This map is the first published in the Province of New York. Originally made by Colden in 1723 during his appointment as Surveyor General of New York, it was later published for Colden’s Papers and his History of the Five Nations as a supplementary map. Though reproduced for later editions of this work, this piece is one of two copies extant of the original publishing.