Leventhal Map & Education Center
@bplmaps.bsky.social
We use maps, geography, and history to understand the connection between people and places in Boston, New England, and beyond.
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Did you know there's a room in Boston City Hall where you can see the entire city ✨in miniature?✨
#bpl #LMEC #maps #bostonmaps #localhistory #bostonhistory #bostonmuseum #thingstodoinboston #bostontourism #BOSCityHall
#bpl #LMEC #maps #bostonmaps #localhistory #bostonhistory #bostonmuseum #thingstodoinboston #bostontourism #BOSCityHall
November 16, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Did you know there's a room in Boston City Hall where you can see the entire city ✨in miniature?✨
#bpl #LMEC #maps #bostonmaps #localhistory #bostonhistory #bostonmuseum #thingstodoinboston #bostontourism #BOSCityHall
#bpl #LMEC #maps #bostonmaps #localhistory #bostonhistory #bostonmuseum #thingstodoinboston #bostontourism #BOSCityHall
Among the only remnants of the quaint 19th century neighborhood is the Sears Building, today facing the City Hall plaza, and filled with various shops and businesses. A particular standout among these is a large brass kettle hanging above a Starbucks. But you’ve heard that story from us before 😉
November 15, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Among the only remnants of the quaint 19th century neighborhood is the Sears Building, today facing the City Hall plaza, and filled with various shops and businesses. A particular standout among these is a large brass kettle hanging above a Starbucks. But you’ve heard that story from us before 😉
Notable figures like William Lloyd Garrison lived and worked in Cornhill, with his office as a notable stop in the Underground Railroad. Most of Cornhill was demolished during the Government Center project in the 1960s, and was replaced with space for government buildings, like City Hall.
November 15, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Notable figures like William Lloyd Garrison lived and worked in Cornhill, with his office as a notable stop in the Underground Railroad. Most of Cornhill was demolished during the Government Center project in the 1960s, and was replaced with space for government buildings, like City Hall.
Cornhill was home to the majority of Boston’s printing offices, bookshops, and all manner of utilities and services. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, it also hosted Boston’s largest newspapers, including the “Massachusetts Spy” during the Rev. War and, a century later, the Boston Globe.
November 15, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Cornhill was home to the majority of Boston’s printing offices, bookshops, and all manner of utilities and services. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, it also hosted Boston’s largest newspapers, including the “Massachusetts Spy” during the Rev. War and, a century later, the Boston Globe.
Once upon a time, this neighborhood, called Cornhill, was centered around the intersections of Queen, King, and Cornhill Street. Doesn’t sound familiar? That’s because, after the Revolution, those streets were renamed to Court, State, and Washington, respectively.
November 15, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Once upon a time, this neighborhood, called Cornhill, was centered around the intersections of Queen, King, and Cornhill Street. Doesn’t sound familiar? That’s because, after the Revolution, those streets were renamed to Court, State, and Washington, respectively.
Do you ever wonder what neighborhoods Boston used to have that no longer exist? What would the city be like if they weren’t demolished? 🤔
Map: Parcel 10 : Sears Crescent, Government Center
Images: Digital Commonwealth, Historic New England
#bpl #LMEC #maps #bostonmaps #localhistory #bostonhistory
Map: Parcel 10 : Sears Crescent, Government Center
Images: Digital Commonwealth, Historic New England
#bpl #LMEC #maps #bostonmaps #localhistory #bostonhistory
November 15, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Do you ever wonder what neighborhoods Boston used to have that no longer exist? What would the city be like if they weren’t demolished? 🤔
Map: Parcel 10 : Sears Crescent, Government Center
Images: Digital Commonwealth, Historic New England
#bpl #LMEC #maps #bostonmaps #localhistory #bostonhistory
Map: Parcel 10 : Sears Crescent, Government Center
Images: Digital Commonwealth, Historic New England
#bpl #LMEC #maps #bostonmaps #localhistory #bostonhistory
Wrapping up midterms assignments or trying to get ahead on your finals? Check out LMEC's research guides! 🔍📖
Whether looking to do some research or looking to do some quick learning of a new subject, we encourage you to check out this resource!
Check out the link in bio for LMEC's research guides
Whether looking to do some research or looking to do some quick learning of a new subject, we encourage you to check out this resource!
Check out the link in bio for LMEC's research guides
November 12, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Wrapping up midterms assignments or trying to get ahead on your finals? Check out LMEC's research guides! 🔍📖
Whether looking to do some research or looking to do some quick learning of a new subject, we encourage you to check out this resource!
Check out the link in bio for LMEC's research guides
Whether looking to do some research or looking to do some quick learning of a new subject, we encourage you to check out this resource!
Check out the link in bio for LMEC's research guides
❗Join us this Friday, Nov 14 for our next map collection showing❗
In this installment of From the Vault, we’ll look at maps that demonstrate historic and contemporary shifts to place names.
#bpl #LMEC #maps #bostonmaps #localhistory #bostonhistory #bostonmuseum #thingstodoinboston #bostontourism
In this installment of From the Vault, we’ll look at maps that demonstrate historic and contemporary shifts to place names.
#bpl #LMEC #maps #bostonmaps #localhistory #bostonhistory #bostonmuseum #thingstodoinboston #bostontourism
November 10, 2025 at 4:34 PM
❗Join us this Friday, Nov 14 for our next map collection showing❗
In this installment of From the Vault, we’ll look at maps that demonstrate historic and contemporary shifts to place names.
#bpl #LMEC #maps #bostonmaps #localhistory #bostonhistory #bostonmuseum #thingstodoinboston #bostontourism
In this installment of From the Vault, we’ll look at maps that demonstrate historic and contemporary shifts to place names.
#bpl #LMEC #maps #bostonmaps #localhistory #bostonhistory #bostonmuseum #thingstodoinboston #bostontourism
❗Join us November 13 for a conversation in the Brown Seminar Series on women property holders of Boston’s waterfront in the late 1700s with professor Katy Lasdow❗
Use the link in our bio to register for the event.
#bpl #LMEC #maps #bostonmaps #localhistory #bostonhistory #bostonmuseum
Use the link in our bio to register for the event.
#bpl #LMEC #maps #bostonmaps #localhistory #bostonhistory #bostonmuseum
November 7, 2025 at 7:44 PM
❗Join us November 13 for a conversation in the Brown Seminar Series on women property holders of Boston’s waterfront in the late 1700s with professor Katy Lasdow❗
Use the link in our bio to register for the event.
#bpl #LMEC #maps #bostonmaps #localhistory #bostonhistory #bostonmuseum
Use the link in our bio to register for the event.
#bpl #LMEC #maps #bostonmaps #localhistory #bostonhistory #bostonmuseum
📖 Wanna find a shop’s address in the 19th century? Better pull out ye olde tome of addresses!
Map: Map of Boston: engraved expressly for Clark's Boston blue book (1885)
Source: BPL Research Guides, Internet Archive
#bpl #LMEC #maps #bostonmaps #localhistory #bostonhistory #bostontourism
Map: Map of Boston: engraved expressly for Clark's Boston blue book (1885)
Source: BPL Research Guides, Internet Archive
#bpl #LMEC #maps #bostonmaps #localhistory #bostonhistory #bostontourism
November 4, 2025 at 7:38 PM
📖 Wanna find a shop’s address in the 19th century? Better pull out ye olde tome of addresses!
Map: Map of Boston: engraved expressly for Clark's Boston blue book (1885)
Source: BPL Research Guides, Internet Archive
#bpl #LMEC #maps #bostonmaps #localhistory #bostonhistory #bostontourism
Map: Map of Boston: engraved expressly for Clark's Boston blue book (1885)
Source: BPL Research Guides, Internet Archive
#bpl #LMEC #maps #bostonmaps #localhistory #bostonhistory #bostontourism
Frequently Asked Questions: Atlascope Edition! 🔍
Use this guide to refresh yourself on Atlascope's intricacies or to get a better understanding of this tool before jumping to research. If you had additional questions about Atlascope, please leave them in the comments so we can answer them here.
Use this guide to refresh yourself on Atlascope's intricacies or to get a better understanding of this tool before jumping to research. If you had additional questions about Atlascope, please leave them in the comments so we can answer them here.
November 2, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Frequently Asked Questions: Atlascope Edition! 🔍
Use this guide to refresh yourself on Atlascope's intricacies or to get a better understanding of this tool before jumping to research. If you had additional questions about Atlascope, please leave them in the comments so we can answer them here.
Use this guide to refresh yourself on Atlascope's intricacies or to get a better understanding of this tool before jumping to research. If you had additional questions about Atlascope, please leave them in the comments so we can answer them here.
The genocide of indigenous people, infamous witch hunts, and centuries of race and class-based discrimination have all left a dark spot on New England’s history. The implication that NE towns exist on blood-soaked land is both a powerful theme and an inspiration for the classic haunted backdrop.
October 31, 2025 at 3:34 PM
The genocide of indigenous people, infamous witch hunts, and centuries of race and class-based discrimination have all left a dark spot on New England’s history. The implication that NE towns exist on blood-soaked land is both a powerful theme and an inspiration for the classic haunted backdrop.
New England’s bleak historical background also sets it apart from other regions. The Gothic genre, professor Bridget Marshall states, “is always interested in history, and New England has a deep and layered one.”
October 31, 2025 at 3:34 PM
New England’s bleak historical background also sets it apart from other regions. The Gothic genre, professor Bridget Marshall states, “is always interested in history, and New England has a deep and layered one.”
The cold, isolated woodland inspired a haunted atmosphere in stories, and later authors would continue the tradition of 19th century classics. The rainy, misty New England fall could also inspire dread; who know what lurks behind the white veil of mists?
October 31, 2025 at 3:34 PM
The cold, isolated woodland inspired a haunted atmosphere in stories, and later authors would continue the tradition of 19th century classics. The rainy, misty New England fall could also inspire dread; who know what lurks behind the white veil of mists?
“New England Gothic” is a genre centered around the anxiety evoked by the environment and history of the Northeastern US. BU professor Regina Hansen notes that authors like Hawthorne and Poe lived in a time when “people were terrified of the winter because they didn’t know if they would survive.”
October 31, 2025 at 3:34 PM
“New England Gothic” is a genre centered around the anxiety evoked by the environment and history of the Northeastern US. BU professor Regina Hansen notes that authors like Hawthorne and Poe lived in a time when “people were terrified of the winter because they didn’t know if they would survive.”
Think of your favorite classic horror book, film, or story. There’s a pretty significant chance it is set somewhere in New England. From Stephen King’s “It” to Poe’s classic poems to H.P. Lovecraft’s famous mythos, New England towns have been disproportionately represented in horror media. But why?
October 31, 2025 at 3:34 PM
Think of your favorite classic horror book, film, or story. There’s a pretty significant chance it is set somewhere in New England. From Stephen King’s “It” to Poe’s classic poems to H.P. Lovecraft’s famous mythos, New England towns have been disproportionately represented in horror media. But why?
If your hometown doesn’t look a little like a horror movie set every Fall, are you really living in New England? 👻🎃🕷️
Maps: Map of Salem Village 1692 (1866), Berlin Falls, N.H., and Berlin Mills (1888), The journey, or, cross roads ... [ca. 1831–1836]
Sources: Digital Commonwealth, Wikimedia
Maps: Map of Salem Village 1692 (1866), Berlin Falls, N.H., and Berlin Mills (1888), The journey, or, cross roads ... [ca. 1831–1836]
Sources: Digital Commonwealth, Wikimedia
October 31, 2025 at 3:34 PM
If your hometown doesn’t look a little like a horror movie set every Fall, are you really living in New England? 👻🎃🕷️
Maps: Map of Salem Village 1692 (1866), Berlin Falls, N.H., and Berlin Mills (1888), The journey, or, cross roads ... [ca. 1831–1836]
Sources: Digital Commonwealth, Wikimedia
Maps: Map of Salem Village 1692 (1866), Berlin Falls, N.H., and Berlin Mills (1888), The journey, or, cross roads ... [ca. 1831–1836]
Sources: Digital Commonwealth, Wikimedia
AI is already transforming how we live, work, and communicate. But how will it change democracy?
Use the link in our bio to register for event reminders. This program is co-hosted by BPL Digital Services and kicks off a series of digital talks on AI in library collections.
#maps #AI
Use the link in our bio to register for event reminders. This program is co-hosted by BPL Digital Services and kicks off a series of digital talks on AI in library collections.
#maps #AI
October 29, 2025 at 3:34 PM
Eager to learn more about the way Boston’s geography ignited the Revolution? Visit our exhibition "Terrains of Independence" at the Leventhal Center gallery during our open hours: buff.ly/6R7iBuO. The exhibition features artifacts on loan from the City Archaeology Program.
October 26, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Eager to learn more about the way Boston’s geography ignited the Revolution? Visit our exhibition "Terrains of Independence" at the Leventhal Center gallery during our open hours: buff.ly/6R7iBuO. The exhibition features artifacts on loan from the City Archaeology Program.
To mark the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill, Boston’s City Archeologist, Joe Bagley, is leading a team to better understand the Charlestown of the past. The goal is to “[personalize] this history and make it hopefully mean something to a broader segment of the population.”
October 26, 2025 at 1:30 PM
To mark the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill, Boston’s City Archeologist, Joe Bagley, is leading a team to better understand the Charlestown of the past. The goal is to “[personalize] this history and make it hopefully mean something to a broader segment of the population.”
This may not sound like the biggest deal. However, during the Battle of Bunker Hill, the British shot heated cannon balls into Charlestown and reduced the neighborhood to ash. Though it was rebuilt, the original Charlestown is lost to time… or is it?
October 26, 2025 at 1:30 PM
This may not sound like the biggest deal. However, during the Battle of Bunker Hill, the British shot heated cannon balls into Charlestown and reduced the neighborhood to ash. Though it was rebuilt, the original Charlestown is lost to time… or is it?
In many eighteenth century maps, Charlestown was often drawn with a broad brush.
October 26, 2025 at 1:30 PM
In many eighteenth century maps, Charlestown was often drawn with a broad brush.
Charlestown has its own set of mysteries… including what it used look like! 🫣
October 26, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Charlestown has its own set of mysteries… including what it used look like! 🫣
🎃Join us this Halloween (Friday, Oct 31) to take a peak at some Creepy Cartography!👻
Be warned: these maps are not for the faint of heart!
This free showing will be Friday, October 31 in the Leventhal Map & Education Center with staff members available to answer questions.
#bpl #maps #halloween
Be warned: these maps are not for the faint of heart!
This free showing will be Friday, October 31 in the Leventhal Map & Education Center with staff members available to answer questions.
#bpl #maps #halloween
October 25, 2025 at 3:34 PM
🎃Join us this Halloween (Friday, Oct 31) to take a peak at some Creepy Cartography!👻
Be warned: these maps are not for the faint of heart!
This free showing will be Friday, October 31 in the Leventhal Map & Education Center with staff members available to answer questions.
#bpl #maps #halloween
Be warned: these maps are not for the faint of heart!
This free showing will be Friday, October 31 in the Leventhal Map & Education Center with staff members available to answer questions.
#bpl #maps #halloween