Atlas of Historical County Boundaries: Digital [ACB]

FAIN: PM-50066-07

Newberry Library (Chicago, IL 60610-3305)
John H. Long (Project Director: July 2006 to December 2011)
Jennifer Thom (Project Director: December 2011 to August 2009)

Completion of the "Digital Atlas of Historical County Boundaries," illustrating all changes in the boundaries, names, organization, and attachment of every United States county from 1619 to 2000.

This is a proposal to complete a powerful research and reference tool for the humanities. This grant will make it possible to research, compile, digitize, and disseminate every change in the size, shape, location, name, organization, and attachment of every county or equivalent in Alaska, Georgia, Hawaii, and Oklahoma. Staff also will digitize and disseminate the already-compiled historical boundaries for Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, Nebraska, Nevada, Texas, and Utah. Finishing all these states will conclude the larger atlas project for all fifty states. Coverage is comprehensive: all counties and equivalents, regardless of location, and all changes from the 1600s to 31 December 2000. There will be two products: downloadable sets of shapefiles for use in a GIS and viewable, interactive maps. Dissemination will be free of charge via the Internet from the project's Web site at the Newberry Library (www.newberry.org/ahcbp), thereby serving the largest possible audience.