1855 Map of Exeter

EHA President Sheila Reynolds-Boothroyd came across a delightful discovery about Exeter last month, while visiting the Langworthy Public Library in Hope Valley. 

1855 Walling map - Exeter portion

A resident of that town was trying to find her own house on some old maps. One of the librarians brought out an original 1855 map of the State of Rhode Island, published by Henry F. Walling.  Just by coincidence, Sheila happened to notice that the map clearly showed the Town of Exeter. It's one of the earliest maps we have which identifies Exeter as a separate entity, despite the fact that Exeter had split from North Kingstown over a hundred years earlier!

The map is  identified by the title, "Map of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations from Surveys Under the Direction of Henry F. Walling, Civil Engineer." 

Walling was a civil engineer from Providence who developed a penchant for mapmaking. As a rising star in the field, on his way to being appointed "Superintendant of the State Map" for the state of Massachusetts, Walling surveyed much of Rhode Island, and began producing state maps in 1846.

But it turns out, you don't have to visit the Langworthy Library to see this map! Harvard University also owns a copy, and what's more, it's been digitized and made available for viewing! The link is below, and it's best viewed on a computer with a keyboard and mouse, not an iPad or smartphone. (Thanks to Ken Hornik for this info!)

http://ids.lib.harvard.edu/ids/view/5271618?buttons=y