Baist Atlas of Richmond, VA (1889)

A great resource for those interested in Richmond's history, urban planning, and architecture is the late-19th-century Baist Atlas of Richmond, VA. VCU Libraries’ Digital Collections provides cover-to-cover photos of the atlas as well as accompanying tools. The Baist Atlas of the City of Richmond was published in 1889 by George William Baist’s Philadelphia firm. “The company produced real estate and insurance maps of some twenty different American cities from the 1880s through 1967. For a few cities, including Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., they published multiple maps. The 1889 atlas of Richmond was their only published map of the city. The original atlas is housed in Special Collections and Archives at the James Branch Cabell Library” [Text taken from the VCU Libraries’ website].

 

Baist Index Map

Stated on VCU Libraries’ corresponding webpage, “The atlas consists of an index map and twenty large linen plates (18 ½ inches tall by 28 inches wide) mapping all areas of the city including parts of Henrico and Chesterfield counties and part of the City of Manchester, now Richmond’s South Side, which was then an independent city”. On the index map, each plate is designated by a red outline and number. The maps are highly detailed, including a variety of different buildings, structures, parks, streets, railways, and bodies of water. Brick or stone buildings are colored pink and frame buildings are yellow. Water pipes, sewers, and fire plugs are also marked, and waterways are highlighted in green. Property lines, as well as the names of some property owners, are included as well. The political wards of Richmond from the time also are designated on the maps: Marshall, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Jackson, and Clay.

Plate 7 of the map, showing the west end of the city.

VCU Libraries’ webpage for the Baist Atlas of Richmond also provides a street index and geospatial overlay for facilitated interaction with the maps. The street index lists street names and their corresponding plate(s), along with links for quick viewing. The geospatial download–available to view through Google Earth–overlays the Baist maps over current-day Richmond. These tools are great for visualizing the changes between Richmond and surrounding areas in 1889 and today. VCU Libraries also suggest additional 19th and 20th-century maps and atlases of Richmond for further research, such as Frederick W. Beers’ Illustrated Atlas of the City of Richmond. 

Baist Atlas of Richmond overlay on Google Earth

Baist Atlas of Richmond overlay on Google Earth

-- Gabrielle Dietrich, VCU undergraduate majoring in International Studies and French with a minor in History. She graduates in the Spring of 2024.