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1897 Map of Harlem

Name: 1897 Topographic Map of Harlem
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1960
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1960

About this map

Yonkers Park and the burgeoning suburban reaches of Westchester County meet the dense urban grid of Manhattan and the Bronx in this late 19th-century survey. The landscape is defined by the massive engineering works of a growing metropolis, featuring the Croton Aqueduct and Old Croton Aqueduct snaking through the terrain to the Jerome Park Reservoir. Along the Hudson River, the dramatic Palisades loom over the West Shore RR on the New Jersey side, while the New York shore reveals landmarks like Grants Tomb and the expansive Riverside Park.

Maritime activity dominates the eastern portion of the sheet, where the East River flows through the treacherous Hell Gate toward Long Island Sound. Defensive positions like Fort Schuyler and Willets Point guard the narrows, overlooking island communities such as City Island and Davids Island. The map records a complex network of rail lines, including the Northern Railroad of New Jersey and the Electric RR, which connected established towns like Englewood and Tuckahoe before the full 20th-century consolidation of the boroughs.