Thomas Gamaliel Bradford, Boston (1838)

This map, created by cartographer Thomas Gamaliel Bradford in 1838, depicts the growing city of Boston from a colonial port city, confined by the limitations of the Shawmut Peninsula, to a major metropolitan center. This expansion started with the construction of bridges in the 1790s, which connected Boston to the nearby growing urban settlements of Cambridge, Charlestown, South Boston and South Bay. Bostonians also sought ways to increase usable land area, extending and filling in spaces between wharves, and reclaiming the Mill Pond and tidal flats. During the 1830s, railroads were introduced to the New England area, providing a more viable transportation alternative to the ocean, and coastal shipping contributed more to the city's growth. This map was included in Bradford’s An Illustrated Atlas, Geographical, Statistical, and Historical of the United States.