Texas by Thomas G. Bradford. Published in Philadelphia by T. G. Bradford, 1838.

The Special Collections map collection is housed in the Virginia Garrett Cartographic History Library (VGCHL), which was established in 1978 to support the rich holdings of UT Arlington's Special Collections documenting Texas and Southwestern history from the beginning of European exploration to the present. The focuses on five centuries of exploration and mapping of the New World, with particular emphasis on the region of the Gulf Coast and the Greater Southwest, which includes Northern Mexico, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California.

The Virginia Garrett Cartographic History Library contains thousands of rare maps and atlases, and features works of noted cartographers, such as Martin Waldseemüller, Abraham Ortelius, Jodocus Hondius, Vincenzo Coronelli, and Guilliaume DeLisle. The library also collects maps relating to transcontinental migration, transportation surveys, and oil exploration. Of particular interest to researchers are the more than one thousand maps depicting Texas in its various geographical and political configurations.

In addition, the maps in the VGCHL represent a variety of printed formats, including wood block prints, copper and steel engravings, lithographs, and a number of other printing processes. There are also examples of manuscript maps, portolan charts, copper plates, lithograph stones, globes, and a 19th century printing press. Study and research of maps are supported by a wide variety of textual materials, including monographs, journals, and reference works.

A selection of maps from our collections can be seen in Cartographic Connections.

Augmenting the sheet maps is a fine collection of atlases and geographies. Represented in the collection are many European authors, such as Corneille Wytfliet, John Ogliby, and Alexander von Humboldt as well as works by the American publishing houses of Jedidiah Morse, Samuel Augustus Mitchell, and Thomas G. Bradford.

Special Collections also works closely with other offices and departments on campus, including the Center for Greater Southwestern Studies and the History of Cartography and the chairholder of the Jenkins and Virginia Garrett Chair for the History of Cartography. The Division, solely and in conjunction with other university units, sponsors seminars, exhibitions, and meetings, including those of the Texas Map Society.

Cataloging of the cartographic holdings is in process, and you will need to access both the in-house card catalog and the UT Arlington Library Catalog to locate maps of interest. A small number of maps are held as collections and have appropriate finding aids. These include the Topographic Maps of Texas, Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, Twentieth Century Road Maps, and National Geographic Maps. Please consult the online Findings Aids index for a complete listing.

A selected list of reference materials for research and study of maps, including both general cartographic history and the cartographic history of Texas is available online. A list of web sources for maps also is contained on the page.

If you have questions about the holdings of the Virginia Garrett Cartographic History Library, please contact Ben Huseman at huseman@uta.edu or (817) 272-0633.