Description
Though Suffolk County, New York remained primarily an agricultural county in 1912, the signs of transformation were in place. This map predates the explosion of real estate development in the Hamptons, but it records the infrastructure that would make that possible including recent rail lines, roads, and delineated townships. By the 1920s, the coastal region with access to the ocean and New York City was ripe for attracting New York elites like the DuPont, Morgan, and Woolworth families. Ultimately, Evert’s Suffolk County map captures a moment of transition with clarity, illustrating a landscape still grounded in farmland but increasingly shaped by mobility and metropolitan proximity.
Long Island was among the first areas in the New World reached by European settlers. The town of Southampton on the eastern tip was settled in 1640. The island and its coast were mapped in the 18th century by the British up to the time of the Revolutionary War. The best-known sea charts were made for the British Admiralty by F.W. Des Barres. In the 19th century, a concerted effort began in the America to map the interior of the United States. This mid 19th century map was a joint effort by W.W. Mather, a geologist, and the surveyor J. Calvin Smith, also well known for his huge wall map of the State of New York. By the end of the 19th century, the Long Island Railroad was actively promoting development on the island, and issued many maps to encourage New York City residents to build houses and farms east of the city. The offered map shows what are now popular vacation locations on Long Island including West Hampton, East Hampton, Southampton, Bridgehampton, Sag Harbor, Amagansett, Montauk, Glen Cove, Jones Beach, and Fire Island.
Louis Humphrey Everts was an American map and atlas publisher who helped define the cartographic and civic identity of 19th- and early 20th-century America. Born in East Otto, New York, Everts began his professional life in Illinois before serving in the Union Army during the Civil War, where he rose to the rank of Brevet Major and served under General Pleasant Adams Hackleman. After the war, Everts turned to publishing, specializing in detailed county atlases that combined cartographic precision with regional documentation. From 1902 to 1912, Everts published twelve atlases under the aegis of the Century Map Company. Collectively, the full range of Evert’s atlases under various names and partnerships demonstrate both his technical skill and his deep engagement with the ways in which place, infrastructure, and civic development intersected in a rapidly modernizing America.
Condition: Generally very good with the usual overall light toning, wear, handling. Center vertical fold, as issued.
References
“Louis Humphrey Everts.” Digital Library Company. https://digital.librarycompany.org/islandora/object/digitool%3A79139?utm_source=chatgpt.com (12 May 2025).
“History of Long Island.” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Long_Island. (12 May 2025).
