Item number: NJE851
Genuine Antique Map
1904
Maker: Walker / Automobile Club of America
Antique road map of Northern New Jersey published by The Automobile Club of America and printed by Walker, copyrighted in 1904. This map covers Middlesex County, Monmouth County, Mercer County, Somerset County, and Hunterdon County as well as parts of New York and Pennsylvania. Includes Jersey City, Sandy Hook, Raritan Bay, Trenton, Staten Island, and more. Indicates good roads, state roads, and other roads and also shows towns, villages, railroads and lakes. Automobiles were quite new at this time and most of the existing roads were for horses and carriages. The bicycle boom of the late 1800s had resulted in the paving of some roads, but most were still dirt and probably rutted from carriage wheels, which is why early road maps usually indicated the better roads. The enthusiasm for automobiles sped up the paving of roads, but maps like this were necessary to identify the best roads to avoid damaging your new vehicle. Fun fact: the state speed limit in MA in 1907 was 12 mph in cities and villages and 20 mph in rural areas. The map was published by George Walker Co. as a folding map, backed on linen. Very good antique condition with toning, mild wear at the edges and along the folds, and the fabric between sheets is in good condition. Some mild stains in margins. Measures approx. 26.5 x 41 inches to the neatline.
Genuine Antique Map from 1904
Item Number: NJE851