This original wood engraving was published in 1848 for Robert Sears’ book, “A New and Popular Description of the United States.”

The original version of this map was published in a rare book titled Natural and Statistical View, or Picture of Cincinnati and Miami Country by Dr. Daniel Drake. The version pictured here was published in 1904 within the first volume of Centennial History of Cincinnati and Representative Citizens by Charles Greve.

Dr. Drake was one of Cincinnati’s most notable citizens during this time in history. He was most famous for being one of the top physicians in America’s western frontier and holds the title of being the first Cincinnati historian.

Dr. Drake left his mark on many traditions and institutions we still honor today. The native buckeye tree was made the official tree for the state of Ohio as a result of Drake’s admiration of the trees virtues. Drake was also one of the founding members of the Medical College of Ohio, which later became the would later merge with the University of Cincinnati in 1896 and better known today as Cincinnati College of Medicine.

This early map gives us an idea of how early city planners were trying to work within the confines of the Ohio River, challenging topography along the river front and the remains of Fort Washington (labeled #18 in the map’s legend). Despite it being 200+ years old, Daniel Drake’s map depicts a recognizable outline of downtown Cincinnati that we know today.

The original version of this map was published in October of 1819 for Oliver Farnsworth’s, The Cincinnati Directory. The copy pictured here is from a first addition print of Centennial History of Cincinnati and Representative Citizens, published by Charles Greve in 1904.

This map shows the locations of various breweries, churches, banks, Cincinnati College and even where the remains of ancient mound works once stood. However, it also provides us with a frightful reminder of previous land uses for which the founders of a, then newly established, City of Cincinnati once had for our now most treasured urban areas. Towards the northern outskirts of the city, where Music Hall and Washington Park are currently located, the map reads “Public Burying Ground” and “Presbyterian Burying Ground.”

This early 19th century map was published by London-based I.T. Hinton & Sinupkin & Marshall. During the time of this map’s publication in 1820 there were several interesting developments occurring within the newly formed states of Ohio and Indiana.

Ohio would have recently moved it’s capital to Columbus just four years earlier, after bouncing back-and-forth between Chillicothe and Zanesville for the first decade and a half of the state’s formation.

The capital of Indiana would have been Corydon, located only 8 miles off the Ohio River and home to several influential settlers of the territory at that time. Like Ohio, political forces and migration of settlers throughout the state created the need for a more centralized seat of government. Corydon, Indiana would proudly claim the state’s capital for another four years, until 1824, before it would be relocated to Indianapolis.  

Published in 1830 by D. F. Robinson & Co.

In 1830, Cincinnati, Ohio was the 8th most populous city in the United States according to a U.S. Census taken that year — ahead of cities such as Washington DC (11th) and Brooklyn, NY (18th) — and would have been the largest city labeled on this map.

It was during this time in history that a small, swappy trading post near Lake Michigan was incorporated as a town with a population of about 350. It was said that the native people had avoided this wetland due to it being useless for growing crops and that the land had an unpleasant smell to it. They called it “shikaakwa,” meaning “smelly onion.” Therefore, the land was cheap for purchasing by white settlers and fur traders.

Deep within Miami-Illinois Indian Territory, D. F. Robinson & Co. accurately labeled the location of this small shire town by it’s new name — Chicago.

Published May 1st, 1833 by Baldwin & Gradock, Paternoster Row London. Notation in top-left corner reads, “published under the Superintendence of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge.”

Labels on this map include the following:

C.H. = Court House, Cr. = Creek, F. = Fork, Ft. = Fort, L. = Lake, M. = Mountain, N. = New, Pt. = Point, Spr. = Spring, T. = Town, V. = Village and most interestingly a triangle-shaped notation = Indian Village.

Over the last several decades, Cincinnati would have enjoyed dominating the river and canal transportation systems with it’s strategic location along the Ohio River. At the time of this map’s publication, the city would still be the premier river and canal transportation hub in the West. However, at the time, not all of Ohio’s growing population were satisfied with their travel and transportation options.

It was in the 1830’s that, due to high demand from communities without access to rivers and canals, railroads quickly became a popular means to transport goods and people. Cincinnati would soon become one of the main intersecting city for many of the large railway systems transporting goods through Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana.

Original engraving by G.W. Boynton & Co. and published in Thomas G. Bradford’s 1835 A Comprehensive Atlas Geographical, Historical and Commercial.

Bradford’s Atlas was extremely detailed for its time. It included descriptions of Ohio’s rivers, canals, railroads, towns, farming & manufacturing as well as travel, trade and education for the state. Some of the most obscure statistical reports related to the quality of the soil, minerals and “Indiana corn yields” are meticulously documented.

Here is an excerpt from page 51 of the atlas in which this map was published describing Towns in Ohio: “Ohio is divided into counties, which are subdivided into townships. The capital is Columbus, 2,437 inhabitants. The principal town is Cincinnati, of which in 1810, the population was 2,540; in 1830, 24,831 and in 1833, nearly 30,000.”

Manufacturing is described as the following: “Ohio is the principal manufacturing state West of the Alleghenies, and Cincinnati is the only rival of Pittsburgh, in the Mississippi Valley. Salt is made in great quantities on the Muskingum and other places. Iron is extensively wrought and manufactured, and the manufacture of glass, hats, cabinet work (etc.) employs much capital and industry. There are in Cincinnati nearly 50 steam engines, carrying rolling, flour, and cotton mills, and mills for manufacture of machinery. 150 steamboats have been built here within the last 17 years. Zanesville, Steubenville and Chillicothe are the other principals manufacturing towns.”

1838 Map of Cincinnati, Ohio. Published by T.G. Bradford. Very good condition for age and still has original hand coloring.

By this time, Cincinnati had emerged as a dominant western city and boasted the 6th largest populous in the country, preceded only by NYC (1st), Baltimore (2nd), New Orleans (3rd), Philadelphia (4th) and Boston (5th).

It was due to the surge in population during this time that a charter was formed by the Kentucky legislature which granted funds to a young German-born civil engineer named John Roebling for the proposes of building a bridge that would connect Cincinnati to Covington, Kentucky. John Roebling’s suspension bridge would not be completed for another 29 years after the publication of this map.

Another interesting call-out is that Race Street is mislabeled by the cartographer as “Rice St.” on this map.

Steel plate engraving with modern hand coloring. Depicting the Miami Canal, Cincinnati, OH. Published 1840 by Wright & Swormstedt.

This mid-19th century engraving was done by Doolittle & Munson for Charles Cist’s book titled, Cincinnati in 1841: Its Early Annals and Future Prospects.

Charles Cist was born in Philadelphia in 1792 to German immigrants. His father, Carl Cist, was also writer and publisher. Charles Cist spent most of his youth in Pennsylvania before moving to Cincinnati at the age of 35.

Here in Cincinnati, Charles Cist was a newspaper publisher for The Western Weekly Advertiser and Cist’s Weekly Advertiser. He would soon fall in love with his new surroundings and would end up publishing several extremely detailed and informative works on Cincinnati. In these historical publications, Cist is not shy about expounding his beliefs in the virtues of The Queen City of The West. An example of this can be found on page 236 of Cincinnati in 1841: Its Early Annals and Future Prospects, where Cist writes, “let him contemplate the range and extent of the facilities in our city for the pursuit of knowledge, either in existence or in progress, from the district school to the medical or law college and theological seminary, and include the systematic and thorough courses of lectures on art and science, which occupy the evenings of the week; and thus observe the preparation making here to constitute Cincinnati the great foundation of knowledge to the whole west — the west which, in a few years, will give tone and laws to our great republic, and he will say, ‘These people are building for ages to comes, not less than for themselves; I rejoice in their prosperity, for they are the trustees of the future destinies of our great republic.’”

Furthermore, in the May 5th, 2016 Cincinnati Magazine article, “The Essential Bookshelf on Cincinnati History: Ten Books You Need To Dive Into Cincinnati’s Past,” written by Greg Hand — a notable Cincinnati historian in his own right — he writes that “between 1841 and 1859, Cist published four books that are required reading for students of Cincinnati.” Hand’s article goes on to explain that “No one who explores the history of Cincinnati can avoid Charles Cist, because all Cincinnati historians rely heavily upon Cist’s writing about his beloved adopted city.”

This scene of Cincinnati was published in 1845 by the world’s first weekly news magazine – The Illustrated London News. Unfortunately, the photo was cut from a page where there appeared to be a review of the City of Cincinnati. One excerpt from the legible portion of the article describes the attractiveness of the “pretty villas” which is amplified by the “culture of trees and flowers, and the laying out of well-kept gardens, the sight of which, to those who walk along the streets, is inexpressibly refreshing and agreeable.” The columnists goes on to say “I was quite charmed with the appearance of the town, and its adjourning suburb of Mount Auburn; from which the, lying in an amphitheatre of hills, forms a picture of remarkable beauty, and is seen to great advantage.” It seems the author of this article was quite impressed with The Queen City of the American West.

Cincinnati landing on the Ohio River c. 1850.

Cincinnati’s riverfront was bustling with activity in the mid-19th century. Approaching The Queen City on the Ohio River would have been the historical equivalent to an interstate traffic jam. Prior to John Roebling’s suspension bridge helping to alleviate some of this congestion, numerous steamboats, barges and many local ferries would have navigated amongst one another on a daily basis as depicted in this image.

This original steel engraving was drawn by K. Fichot and engraved by Ch. Colin and most likely was created for a French publication with illustrations depicting the Americas. Modern day hand-coloring has been added to this nearly 170 year old print, which significantly enhances it’s allure.

This 1851 print illustrates the Medical College of Ohio in Cincinnati. In 1896, the Medical College of Ohio merged with the University of Cincinnati. In 1920, the college changed its name to the College of Medicine of the University of Cincinnati.

Founded in 1819, the present-day Cincinnati College of Medicine is considered to be one of the oldest medical schools in the country.

Published by Harper’s Weekly in 1852, this Bird’s Eye View shows a sprawling river city with steam boats, barges and a bustling public landing. 

Published in 1853 by Phelps, Fanning & Co, this map of Cincinnati references locations for several of the city’s notable landmarks at the time, including:

(B) — the Courthouse on Main Street, just one block south of the canal.

(J) — the Medical College, near the intersection of 6th & Race Street.

(L) — the Burnet House, located on the NWQ of Third Street and Vine Street, was widely considered be one of the finest hotels in the world at the time.

(V) —the first astronomical observatory in the Western Hemisphere. Built on the Mount Adams hillside.

Steel Plate engraving by James Archer with modern hand coloring. Drawn by Henri Love.

This wood-engraved print was published in 1855, only 2 years after the latest Cincinnati Court House had been completed. The previous courthouse had caught fire and burnt to the ground on July 9th, 1849. According to one eye-witness account, the fire was started by an ember that made its way to the roof of the previous two-story courthouse from a neighboring slaughter house.

This would have been the 2nd time that a Cincinnati Courthouse would be destroyed by fire, and unfortunately, it wouldn’t be the last.

The courthouse illustrated in this print was designed by Isaiah Rogers. According to the Hamilton County Courthouses article written by Steven McQuillin, Rogers is described as, “a prominent architect of national reputation.” McQuillin goes on to explain that “Rogers was perhaps the country's foremost hotel architect and had recently designed the Burnett House in Cincinnati, the largest and most elegant hotel in the Midwest. His design for the fourth Hamilton County Courthouse was for a massive three-story building, measuring 190 feet square. Its immense size entirely filled the site at Court and Main streets. The building bore a close resemblance to Rogers' Merchants Exchange building in New York City. Located on Wall Street, this building still stands, with later additions, as the headquarters of National City Bank.”

This engraved map of Cincinnati was published in 1855 by Joseph Hutchins Colton. Colton was born in Massachusetts but moved to New York in the 1830’s where he established J.H. Colton & Co, a publishing company known for their detailed maps, atlases and travel guides of mostly American cities.

An early illustration of the Cincinnati Landing on the Ohio River found in M. M. Ballou’s Pictorial Vol. VIII published January 6th, 1855.

This 1856 map published by J.H. Colton depicts the two dominant river port cities along the Ohio river — Cincinnati, OH & Pittsburgh, PA.

Cincinnati and Pittsburgh’s population at this time would have been approximately 120,000 and 51,000, respectively. It was during the mid-1850’s that railroad transportation would begin to overtake the riverboat transportation industry as the preferred method for shipping goods throughout the nation’s western states and territories. As a result of the shift from riverboat to train transport, both cities would be forced to lean on other industries in the coming decades to maintain their roles as key cities in America’s rapidly expanding western economy. Pittsburgh would largely shift their economy to the production of steel while Cincinnati would focus on the manufacturing and exportation of various goods such as pork, soap, textiles and beer.

Published in Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper on June 14, 1856, this original print depicts a picturesque gathering in Mount Adams. Although, just two decades previous to this print’s publishing, the hillside had a different name - “Mount Ida” - named after a local resident, Ida Martin. Ida Street, which runs adjacent to Play House in the Park, still pays homage to this early Cincinnati pioneer.

So where did present-day name Mount Adams come from? According to a well researched online publication, Historic Mount Adams, author Marian Knight describes the historical events and origins of the now famous neighborhood as follows:

“In 1830 Mount Ida was acquired by that fantastically successful real estate entrepreneur and patron of the arts, Nicholas Longworth. Longworth turned his newest piece of property into a terraced vineyard where, after long experimentation with various grape cuttings, he produced the sparkling Catawba wine that became celebrated around the world as Golden Wedding Champagne. As generous as he was ambitious, Longworth shortly thereafter gave four acres of his hilltop to Ormsby MacKnight Mitchel, another ambitious Cincinnatian, who built the nation's first professionally-equipped astronomical observatory on this site. Former President John Quincy Adams made the arduous journey from Massachusetts to Cincinnati to deliver the address when the observatory was dedicated on November 9, 1843. In his honor, the name of the suburb was changed from Mount Ida to Mount Adams.”

That’s correct — Mount Adams is named after the former 6th President of the United States of America, John Quincy Adams.

This rare print was published by Charles Mangus in 1856. Mangus was a New York-based map dealer, book seller and print publisher who is best known for his publications of civil war era prints and city views.

It was at this time in the Queen City’s history that construction on one of it’s most notable landmarks would have commenced. From this view, a bridge connecting Cincinnati and northern Kentucky is noticeably absent. As depicted in this city view, the Cincinnati area was a bottleneck on the Ohio River due to overcrowded waterways by riverboats, barges and ferry boats. This economic constraint was the driving factor in securing funding for John Roebling’s suspension bridge.

Another major milestone for the United State which occurred in Cincinnati just a few years earlier (April 1st, 1853) was the establishment of the nation’s first full-time professional fire department.

This pre-civil war map of Ohio was published in Morse and Gaston's Diamond Atlas, America. This hand-colored map is extremely detailed for its size at only 5.5” x 6.5”

A scene at Mill Creek, near Cincinnati. Copper plate engraving with modern hand coloring. Drawn by G.N. Frankenstein for the Ladies’ Repository. Engraved by William Wellstood and published by Middleton, Wallace & Co.

Mid-19th Century wood engraving of a scene at the Cincinnati Depot of the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad.

This view of Cincinnati was published in the July 4th, 1857 edition of Harper’s Weekly.

There is one notable landmark shown in this depiction that stands out for this time period. The publisher’s sketch artist inserted what his vision of what a proposed suspension bridge would look like, adding it to the city’s landscape a decade before it would come to fruition.

John Roebling’s suspension bridge was first conceived in 1846 but would not be completed for another 20 years. Construction of the foundations began in 1856 but the project was first delayed due to financial reasons in 1858. Shortly after, the country broke out into civil war in 1861.

Eventually, John Roebling completed the bridge with assistance from his son, Washington, who had been recently discharged from the Union Army.

According to RoeblingBridge.org, “The bridge was opened to pedestrian traffic on the first weekend of December, 1866. The opening was signaled with a one-hundred-volley salute by two cannons from the Newport Barracks. It was reported that 46,000 people crossed the bridge on Saturday, and 120,000 on Sunday.”

This engraved map of Cincinnati by S. Augustus Mitchell, Jr. is the first edition of many to follow. Originally published in 1860, this detailed map gives us a superb sampling of the ornate borders that Mitchell’s maps became known for. Many publishers included these decorative borders through the mid-19th century, but the practice seems to have been less popular by the end of the century.

Many early 20th century publishers continued using patterned borders for their maps, but none compare to the elaborate works of art which came before them.

Mid-19th Century, hand-colored engraving illustrating the “New Masonic Temple” in Cincinnati, Ohio. This magnificent structure was designed by Cincinnati-native and master architect, James McLaughlin. Eventually, it would be demolished to make way for more modern uses.

The Scripps Building currently stands in its place at 3rd and Walnut.

This illustration can be found in a September 27, 1862 edition of Harper’s Weekly. It highlights what might be consider a lessor known chapter in Cincinnati’s history.

The caption reads, “Volunteers Crossing The Ohio To Covington On A Pontoon Bridge” because - believe it or not - that’s exactly what occurred in September of 1862.

In the late summer of 1862, the Confederate Army had captured Lexington & Frankfort, Kentucky and it was thought that Cincinnati would soon be the next target. This put residence of The Queen City on edge as the majority of the Union Troops stationed in the area had recently departed to defend Louisville from falling to Confederate control, as well.

After hearing news of Lexington’s capture, Major General Horatio Wright, commander of the Department of the Ohio, called upon Major General Lewis Wallace to fall back from his current position in Paris, KY to assume command of Cincinnati’s defenses.

On September 1st, 1862, Major General Wallace arrived in Cincinnati and placed the Queen City under Martial Law shortly after his arrival.

A proclamation was drafted by Wallace and posted throughout the city the following morning that, in part, stated the following:

1) All businesses must be suspended. At 9am today every business house must be closed.

2) Citizens must assemble in public places ready for order within 1 hour of all businesses closing. As soon as possible, they will be assigned to their work. The willing shall be properly credited, the unwilling promptly visited. The principle adopted is, citizens for the labor, soldiers for the battle.

3) Ferry-boats will cease operating on the Ohio River after 4am until further notice.

More details on the Proclamation and it’s specific instructions can be found on page 278 of The War of The Rebellion: the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies (linked Here).

Within days, thousands of volunteers from all over the Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana region had traveled to Cincinnati to defend the city against invasion. According to Civil War Historian, Chris Burns, with so many volunteers (estimated to be 15,600 registered and many more unregistered) a major issue was the lack of supplies needed. A few volunteer units went without basic supplies such as uniforms, arms and tents. However, they temporarily made due with donated items such as blankets and food until more supplies arrived.

At the time these events were unfolding John Roebling had only just begun to construct the foundation and piers for the now iconic Roebling Bridge (as pictured in the distance). Therefore, the only way to transport materials and people into northern Kentucky was by ferry. Major General Wallace felt the ferries were taking too long, so he consulted with local Cincinnati engineer Wesley Cameron who came up with the idea for a “pontoon bridge” that stretched across the Ohio River.

The makeshift bridge was conceived and built with record speed. As described in Jeff Suess’s Hidden History of Cincinnati, “Cameron said that one could be built in 48-hours, a claim that astounded Wallace, since a pontoon bridge at Paducah, Kentucky, had taken engineers 3 months. Men latched together coal barges lying near the Licking River and, in 30-hours, had completed a pontoon bridge that carried two army wagons abreast.”

This is only one example of the many incredible accounts of historic events that happened during this short, but intense, period in Cincinnati’s history.

In the days to come there were several minor skirmishes between Union and Confederate forces as the Confederate army probed northern Kentucky’s defenses for the best approach to capture Cincinnati. After a brief standoff, the commanding officers for the Confederate army decided to rethink their plans to invade Cincinnati and withdrew from their position.

This steel engraved map was published by Samuel Augustus Mitchell Jr for “Mitchell’s New General Atlas” in 1862. This copy has bold original hand-coloring differentiating 16 wards throughout the city.

Published in 1862 by Colton & Fitch, this hand colored map illustrates “Western States” of Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Kentucky, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri and Arkansas.

At the time of this map being published, Cincinnati was a powerhouse in the west as the 7th largest city in the country with a population of 161,675. Chicago was the 9th largest city in the country with a population of 112,172.

Indian Territory is labeled where the state of Oklahoma would later become the 46th state to enter the union in 1907.

This steel engraved map was published by S. Augustus Mitchell for “Mitchell’s New General Atlas” in 1865.

Published in 1866 by Appleton & Co., this map features a prominent cartouche designed by the cartographer, Edward Hall. These decorative emblems were once made to be an elaborate focal point for a map’s title, especially during the 17th and 18th century. However, over time cartouche designs became more simplified and less popular among the map-making community.

An important historical reference can be noted on this map as 1866 was the first year in which a bridge connecting Cincinnati to Covington would subtly appear on a map of The Queen City. At the time of this map’s publication construction of John Roebling’s bridge would have recently been completed. At 1,057 feet long, this masterpiece of mid-19th century engineering would be the longest suspension bridge in the world.

Published in the S. Augustus Mitchell, Jr.’s New General Atlas in 1867, this map of Cincinnati is outlined with a decorative ivy border that the father-son mapmakers were known for.

The year 1867 was historically significant for Cincinnati as it was the first full year in which John Roebling’s suspension bridge would open to the public. The new suspension bridge would be a major economic driver for the regional economy over the next several decades as a means of more efficient commerce between Cincinnati and northern Kentucky.

Published in the February 29th, 1868 edition of Harper’s Weekly.

A view of John Roebling’s suspension bridge just one year after opening to the public.

This map of The City of Cincinnati was published by H.F. Walling for H.S. Stebbins 1868 atlas. This map, found in the 1868 Stebbins atlas, was based on an engraving done 13 years prior for J.H. Colton’s The City of Cincinnati, c. 1855 as noted in text on the bottom-left.

This updated 1868 version of the map has original hand-coloring, a decorative border and includes additional labels for roads, alleyways, bridges, ferry routes and train depots.

Published in “Mitchell's new general atlas” by Samuel Augustus Mitchell, Jr in 1870.

Originally published in Appleton’s Hand Book of American Travel in 1871.

The “New Reservoir” in Eden Park stands out in Appleton’s map. Meanwhile, the new Roebling Bridge is simply labeled, “Bridge.”

Various Ferry routes traversing the Ohio River are shown, as well as a future bridge — possibly under construction at the time — is labeled as “Proposed R.R. Bridge” connecting Cincinnati and Newport roughly where the Daniel Carter Bridge (I-471) is located today.

This print of Cincinnati was published in the May 11th, 1872 issue of Harper’s Weekly.

Cincinnati is known to have three nicknames that originated in the 19th century – The Queen City of the West, Paris of America, and Porkopolis.

An 1886 publication of Leading Manufacurers and Merchants of Cincinnati and Environs describes the origins of these nicknames as follows:

“Cincinnati is as well known by the title ‘Queen City of the West’ as that given by the city incorporation. This was bestowed, probably, in recognition of the fine situation, the lovely surroundings, the excellent climate, the fertile soil of the neighborhood, and the bright prospects for the future greatness of the city, and also in appreciation of the early development of enterprise, culture, refinement, and prosperity among the citizens. When and by whom it was originated the writer is unable to state. It has been used for near sixty years in connection with this city.

Tales from the Queen City, a work published in 1838, is the first time it had received so distinct a recognition. Another title, though not so common, is ‘Paris of America,’ which resulted from the appearance, in 1878, in the Cincinnati Commercial, of an article on the Sunday amusements. The headline, ‘The Paris of America,’ was a phrase suggestive of Sunday revelry, and was at once taken up and became popular. Ex-Governor Hoadly, then Judge, in a speech originated the name when prophesying that Cincinnati would be ‘a city fair to the sight, with a healthy public spirit and high intelligence, sound to the core; a city with pure water to drink, pure air to breathe, spacious public grounds, wide avenues – a city not merely of much traffic, but of delightful homes; a city of manufactures, wherein is made every product of art — the needle-gun, the steam-engine, the man of learning, the woman of accomplishments; a city of resort for the money-profit of its dealings, and the mental and spiritual profit of its culture — the Edinboro' of a new Scotland, the Boston of a new New England, the Paris of a new France.’ In The Queen City, a history and guide of the city in 1869, the author says : ‘It has been no idle fancy that has styled Cincinnati the Paris of America.’

There is yet a third name - Porkopolis -- the origin of which is due to the following: About 1825 George W. Jones, president of the United States branch bank, and known as ‘Bank Jones,’ was very enthusiastic about the fact that twenty - five thousand to thirty thousand hogs were being killed in this city every year; and in his letters to the bank's Liverpool correspondent he never failed to mention the fact, and express his hope of Cincinnati's future greatness as a provision market. The correspondent, after receiving a number of these letters, had a unique pair of model hogs made of paper maché, and sent them to ‘George W. Jones, as the worthy representative of Porkopolis.’ ”

Published in William Cullen Bryant’s Picturesque America, this illustration gives us a glimpse of what downtown Cincinnati would have looked like in 1873.

The description of Cincinnati in is historic publication is quite flattering. It reads as follows, “Pittsburgh is lurid and busy; Louisville is fair and indolent; but Cincinnati is the queen. She has no specialty like Buffalo with her elevators, Louisville with her Bourbon-warehouses, Cleveland with her oil-refineries, and Pittsburgh with her iron-mills; or, rather, she has them all, and therefore any one is not noticeable. Within the city is one picturesque locality — the German quarter — know as ‘Over the Rhine,’ the Miami Canal representing the Rhine.”

A very rare map of Cincinnati. Produced for S. Augustus Mitchell’s New Atlas of the United States, published for a single year by Ziegler & McCurdy in 1874. This single edition map is one of the most sought after editions of any American published maps. These maps are known for the airplane propeller border design.

These illustrations of the Cincinnati Public Library were published in the March 21st, 1874 issue of Harper’s Weekly.

Historical descriptions of this building are incredible. The Harper’s Weekly article starts off by stating that “Cincinnati possesses the largest, best-arranged, and only fire-proof public library building in the country.” The article goes on to describe the quality of the contents as “now the largest and best collection of books west of the Alleghanies” and further notes that “the Western cities are overshadowing the Eastern in this sort of enterprise.” Keep in mind, Harper’s Weekly was one of the premier national publications at the time, so I imagine that their opinion would have some weight in these matters.

It is due to world-class institutions such as this that Cincinnati, Ohio was commonly referred to as “The Queen City of the West”

This map of Cincinnati and Its Suburbs was published in 1875 by M. & R. Burgheim for their Guide Map of Cincinnati. The Burgheim firm was local to Cincinnati with offices at the corner of Vine and Mercer Street. During this era of cartography, it was still common for local publishers to have the most accurate and more detailed maps of any given city. M. & R. Burgheim’s maps of the Queen City are especially detailed as evidenced by unique labeling such as the “Refreshments” stand in Eden Park or the Highland House upon the Mt. Adams hillside.

Prepared by The Strobridge & Co. for D.J. Kenny’s Illustrated Cincinnati, 1875.

D.J. Kenny’s Illustrated Cincinnati: A Pictorial Hand-Book of the Queen City is an amazing collection of eye-candy for Cincinnati history lovers. The 1875 publication includes more than 320 engravings and detailed accounts of the city’s architecture, manufacturing, trade and it’s institutions of charity, education and religion.

A full copy of a first edition of Illustrated Cincinnati can be found HERE on Ohio History Collection’s website.

This view of the Queen City was published in the June 24th, 1876 issue of Harper’s Weekly.

Published in 1877, Gray’s New Map of Cincinnati features detailed information about the city including locations of various landmarks, a historical chart of the city’s population and an outline map.

The atlas in which this map originally came from used double-sided pages. Therefore, on the backside of this map of Cincinnati also shows a partial map of the state of Ohio along with an inserts for Columbus, OH and a Historical Map of Ohio. The historical map details the locations of Ancient Earth Works, Indian Villages, Stockade & Forts with the date of their erection as well as approximate territory lines for the 5 tribes who occupied Ohio previous to white settlers moving in. The Iroquis, Delaware, Shawnee, Miami and Wyandots/Ottawas are all represented as having territory in Ohio. According to the map, modern day Cincinnati would have been well within the Miami Indian territory.

The history of this landmark Cincinnati structure has been well documented. It is safe to say that Cincinnati’s Music Hall is one of several iconic buildings that solidified the city’s 19th century reputation as being the “Paris of the Americas” and often referred to as “the Queen City of the West.”

Published in 1879 by D. Appleton & Co., this map of Cincinnati references 55 to hotels, prominent buildings, churches, theaters, depots and squares throughout The Queen City.

This depiction of the seventh industrial exposition held in Cincinnati can be found in the September 20th, 1879 edition of Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper. The caption reads, “Ohio — The Seventh Industrial Exposition of Cincinnati in The Grand Permanet Buildings, September 10th to October 10th, View of the Exibits Displayed in The Music Hall.”

Searching for antiquarian maps often leads to scouring through dusty shelves of a rare book store. Occasionally, there is a book that is too good to pass up. This 1881 first addition of History of Cincinnati, Ohio, with illustrations and biographical sketches is one of those rare books. This text was written by Henry A. Ford and Mrs. Kate B. Ford.

A full text can be found HERE.

This land ownership map of Hamilton County, Ohio was published by George Moessinger & Fredrick Bertsch in 1884.

It is fascinating to see how many of the names for Cincinnati’s streets, parks and schools derived from the former land owners shown here on this map.

The Library of Congress has a high-res scan of a copy of this map in their collection. A link to this image can be found HERE.

This print from the April 12th, 1884 edition of Harper’s Weekly illustrates a mob rioting at the Cincinnati Courthouse.

Cincinnati seems to have a long and disproportionate number of riots throughout its history, dating back to 1792. These unfortunate events occur for various, complex reasons.

The 1884 riots were set off by a verdict given to William Berner. There are many historical and modern day articles that go into great detail about the murder, the trial and the ensuing riots. One of the more entertaining articles can be found on the “Murder by Gaslight” blog.

The shortened, unsatisfying version is that two men were accused of murdering another man on Christmas Eve 1883. One of the accused was sentenced to death while the other was let off with the lessor charge of manslaughter. The public did not accept this lessor charge for the second man. It wasn’t long before a mob was formed to storm the courthouse and take matters into their own hands.

An Associated Press Dispatch article from March 29th, 1884 describes a “fierce fight between the mob and the military.” More than 45 deaths and 45 injuries were recorded over the 3-day riot.

Original wood engraving drawn by Taylor, engraved by Maynard. This engraving was published in "The Universal Geography" by J.S. Virtue & Co. in London.

This image of a Cincinnati “Fire-Engine” hurrying to the scene of a large fire off in the distance was published in a London news paper in 1885. Cincinnati was world renown for their firefighting efforts. In fact, according to The Cincinnati Fire Museum Association, it was here in 1853, that the nation’s first paid professional fire department was created by law, and its organizational plan became a model for other cities across the country.

This wood engraved map of Cincinnati appeared (as figure 126) in The Universal Geography which was published in 1885 by London’s J.S. Virtue & Company.

This late nineteenth century hand-colored lithograph was produced by the Philadelphia-based publishing firm of W.M. Bradley & Bro.

This map may look similar to Samuel August Mitchell Jr’s maps that are also found in this collection. It was around this time that William Bradley actually purchased Mitchell’s atlas plates and began publishing his own version of Mitchell’s well-know atlas. This is one of the early versions of the Bradley-Mitchell maps that were being published in the 1880’s.

Published in Gaskell’s Popular Atlas of The World, 1888.

This folding pocket-map of Cincinnati is absolutely stunning. It was published in 1888 for Max Bergheim's Cincinnati in Wort und Bild (translation: Cincinnati in Words and Pictures)

The cartographer, Max Bergheim, was a Cincinnati-based publisher and therefore was intimately familiar with the city during the time of this map’s publishing making it one of the most detailed and accurate maps of the late 19th century. According to the map, Bergheim’s publishing offices were located at the intersection of Vine & Mercer in Over-The-Rhine.

These views of Cincinnati were published as a supplement to a Harper’s Weekly article written in the June 30th, 1888 titled, “The Queen City of The West.” The article reads as a glowing review of the city and tells the story of Cincinnati’s origins, characteristics and notable accomplishments through the present day.

One excerpt reads, “Having passed through all the different stages of growth incidental to the complete establishment of an American city, and having arrived at that point where material advancement is no longer made the chief aim of the city’s existence, Cincinnati has thus become an excellent type of the foremost civilization of the West.”

Also included in this supplemental print are notable structures, several of which are the homes of prominent citizens. The Harper’s article states that “The Cincinnati man’s love for a fine house in a good location has given the city the best suburbs in the country” and “Nearly all the handsome houses are on the bluffs. Some of them overlook the city itself, while others get a glimpse of a quiet view extending miles up the river.”

A full digitized copy of the article can be found in the records of The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County: Click Here for a Link

Originally published in the September 6th, 1890 edition of Harper’s Weekly, this illustration by William Allen Rogers shows Cincinnati nightlife in the late-19th century.

Rogers was an Ohio native being born on May 23rd, 1854 in Springfield. He was self-taught and developed his skills as a cartoonist and illustrator by contracting for local and regional newspapers. In 1877 Harper's Weekly hired Rogers as a political cartoon illustrator. He would remained at Harper's for the next 25 years.

Published in the 1894 edition of S. Augustus Mitchell’s New General Atlas.

It was in 1894 that H.H. Holmes was on the run from Chicago authorities and decided to hide out for several days in Cincinnati. On September 28th the infamous murderer arrived in town and was said to have stayed at multiple locations in an attempt to cover his tracks. Investigators of this era would have used a map very similar to this in an effort to quickly navigate the city.

Holmes was tracked to a hotel at Sixth & Vine as well as a home address at 305 Poplar Street (located within the 14th ward on this map) but by the time authorities arrived on Poplar Street, he had already fled the city.

This version of Rand-McNally’s Cincinnati and Environs was published for the Rand, McNally & Company’s Indexed Atlas of the World.

This map was published in 1898 for Rand, McNally & Co’s New Business Atlas of Cincinnati and features a detailed layout of downtown Cincinnati.

This map was published by Rand, McNally's & Co in 1898 for their New Family Atlas of the World. The margins in this atlas were fully utilized with useful references to points of interest and an alphabetical street name index.

Advertisement by Cincinnati-based Christian Moerlein Brewing Co. Published in the December 17th, 1898 edition of Harper’s Weekly.

The Christian Moerlein Brewing Co. was founded in 1853 on Elm Street in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood of Cincinnati. The brewery was 1 of 36 breweries in the Cincinnati area in the mid-1850’s and grew to become the 13th largest brewery in the country prior to Prohibition.

The advertisement boasts of awards at various shows and expositions, including the 1893 World’s Fair held in Chicago where Christian Moerlein exhibited his beer on the gallery level of the Agricultural Building.

Published in 1901 by George F. Cram

This map of Cincinnati was published by Henry Tunison in 1903. It features the unmistakable Tunison logo in the top-left corner.

This detailed map of Cincinnati was published by The Americana Company for Encyclopedia Americana in 1904.

Interestingly, this map identifies the modern-day The City of Norwood as “Idlewild” and “Ivanhoe.” While the origins of how the name Norwood came to be, there is hardly any mention of the name Ivanhoe for this northern suburban community other than the name of a street which still exists today as Ivanhoe Avenue. The most commonly held belief for how today’s 2nd largest city within Hamilton County Ohio received its name is thought to be due to the northern positioning of the once wooded area from Cincinnati. By the late 1860’s the area was commonly being referred to as the “North Woods” and would be referenced, in writing, by a Cincinnati Enquirer article dating back to 1870 as Norwood. It is unknown how the name Ivanhoe was chosen by the cartographer of this early 20th century map.

Map of Cincinnati published by Wagner & Debes, Leipzig in 1904.

Published in George F. Cram's Standard American Atlas, this two-page centerfold map of Cincinnati was larger and more detailed than other early 20th century publications. 

Published in 1909, this map of Cincinnati references the names and locations of 6 prominent financial institutions in the downtown area.

In 1925, Cincinnati, Ohio, became first major city in the nation officially to endorse a comprehensive plan. This 1924 map of the city’s Parks and Public Grounds was used to supplement the “Official Plan of the City of Cincinnati” which was published by the City Planning Commission the following year. A link to the full text can be found Here

A link to the full text of the Official Plan of the City of Cincinnati can be found here: Cincinnati-Oh.gov

In 1925, Cincinnati, Ohio, became first major city in the nation officially to endorse a comprehensive plan. This regional map was used to supplement the “Official Plan of the City of Cincinnati” which was published by the City Planning Commission in the same year. A link to the full text can be found Here.

This pictorial Map of the Buckeye State was published in 1931 for Vernon Quinn’s Picture Map Geography of the United States. The Maps in Quinn’s book were drawn by Paul Spencer Johst.

Published in George Cram’s Atlas, “Cities and Towns of the World,” this lithographed map shows the Central Section of Cincinnati in 1938.

This pictorial map of Cincinnati was published in 1941. It was created by beloved local Cincinnati artist, Caroline Williams, and illustrates a “conjectural rendition as envisaged - 100 years later - from the baffling accounts of the past.”

This city transportation map was featured in a folding map titled, “A New Map of Cincinnati, Historical & Pictorial.” It was published by The Cincinnati Pictorial Map Company in 1942.

This pictorial map was created by artist Jo Thompson and featured in “A New Map of Cincinnati, Historical & Pictorial,” which was published by The Cincinnati Pictorial Map Company in 1942.

This double-sided road map was made by The H.M. Gousha Company in 1953 for the Shell Oil Company. The first side showing Metropolitan Cincinnati and Vicinity, while Downtown Cincinnati featuring points of interest, parks and principal buildings is shown on the verso.

During this time, The Roebling Bridge functioned as a toll bridge under the ownership of the Commonwealth of Kentucky until the Brent Spence Bridge opened in 1963. It was also around this time that the wooden deck of the suspension bridge was replaced with the steel grate deck that you see today.

Geological Survey Map of Cincinnati’s East Quadrangle. Mapped, edited the published in 1953 by the United States Department of The Interior. In addition to the topography of the area, this map indicates nearly all of the landmark buildings throughout the eastern neighborhoods of Walnut Hills, Avondale, Bond Hill, Hyde Park, Norwood, Mount Lookout and Oakley.