1891 Map of Harlem

About this map

Yonkers and Mount Vernon anchor the center of this late 19th-century survey, revealing a landscape defined by critical infrastructure and early suburban expansion. The infrastructure of New York's water supply is prominently traced via the Croton Aqueduct and the New Aqueduct, which cut through the hills of Greenburgh. Along the Hudson River, the vertical face of the Palisades stands in stark contrast to the emerging street grids in Englewood and Fort Lee. To the south, the complex waterways of Hell Gate and the Harlem River transition into the dense urban planning of Newtown and Flushing.