Cartographic and Architectural Records Section

Collection Closure

This Section now contains more than 50,000 items from both Government and private collections. These include maps, plans, prints, drawings, sketches, charts, etc.

Notable Collections

Important collections in this section include hydrograph charts from nineteenth-century British, French and American sources, as well as those from the Canadian Hydrographic Series. Of considerable interest to researchers are the Insurance Atlases showing buildings and property lines for St. John's, Harbour Grace, Carbonear (from 1880), and from other areas of the province.

Many historic maps tracing the early cartographic development of Newfoundland and Labrador, within the context of North America, are included in the holdings; as well as cartographic records of the government departments of Public Works (Board of Works), the Crown Lands Division, the Department of Forestry and Agriculture, and the Harmon Corporation. Private collections include records from the Reid Newfoundland Company, United Nail and Foundry, Atlantic Films and Electronics, and A.E. Hickman and Company, all of which provide important documentation of the province's non-fishery related history.

Access

The majority of the maps, charts, and plans are in off-site storage. Please consult with Client Services staff for further information on retrieval.

Finding Aids / Publications

A preliminary guide exists for the Cartographic Records as well as finding aids for subsidiary collections. It can be accessed via the main Reference Room at PANL.

Reproduction of Images

For information relating to the reproduction / copying of maps, please visit the Client Services, Copying and Reproduction Section.