ABOUT THE MAP

David H. Burr’s Map of the County of Clinton is a historical cartographic work that effectively captures the land distribution, geography, and key features of Clinton County, New York. Created during a period of rapid development and territorial organization, the map supports the agricultural and hard-working perception of the region’s inhabitants. Burr’s careful decision to highlight the piece’s most important aspects through the use of watercolors does not only allow the viewer to understand what parts of the land were owned by whom, but it also allows Burr to highlight the other features of the map with black ink. This is best displayed by the use of thick black lines that emphasize property lines and thinner black lines that call attention to the smaller features, such as mills or roads. Burr’s use of multiple visual devices portrays the broader themes of dominant ownership and how important settlement patterns were during the nineteenth century.

The map reflects an era when land distribution played an essential role in shaping both political and economic landscapes. Alongside the theme of land ownership, Burr’s use of fine black lines to depict roads, rivers, and settlements provides a temporal reference and records Clinton County’s transformation over time. Similar examples can also be illustrated through Burr’s addition of forges, mills, and factories. While the smaller details on the map are difficult to spot at an initial glance, they have significant effect in conveying the hard-working, agricultural-centered identity that the people of Clinton County took pride in. Ultimately, Burr’s methodical use of artistic effects allows historians to understand the past conceptions of ownership and economic production, and encourages viewers to reflect on how land-use legacies continue to shape the identity of Clinton County. -Owen Pence ’28

David H. Burr
Map of the County of Clinton, 1829
Published by Rawdon Clark and Company, Albany, NY
Construction paper with watercolor and black ink
North Country Maps Collection, mss. 70, map 108+++
Special Collections
Owen D. Young Library
St. Lawrence University
Canton, NY