About Historic Overlay Maps
Selected maps from the North Carolina Maps project can be viewed as Historic Overlay Maps, layered directly on top of current road maps or satellite images. By fading or 'seeing through' the historic maps, users are able to compare the similarities and differences between old and new maps, and to study the changes in North Carolina over time.
Selected maps from the North Carolina Maps project can be viewed as Historic Overlay Maps, layered directly on top of current road maps or satellite images. By fading or 'seeing through' the historic maps, users are able to compare the similarities and differences between old and new maps, and to study the changes in North Carolina over time.
Using Historic Overlay Maps
The Historic Overlay Maps are presented with a historic map placed on top of a current Google street map. The historic map has been geo-referenced, meaning that it should line up very closely with the current map. Using the Google map interface and check boxes to the left of the map, users can zoom in and out, move the images around, turn the historic map image on and off, or fade the historic map image. Please see the Instructions page for specific directions. Select historic maps are available for download in a format suitable for use in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software. Please visit the Davis Library GIS page for more information.
| Entire State A Compleat Map of North-Carolina, 1770 First Actual Survey of North Carolina, 1808 Map of the Cherokee Nation, 1884 North Carolina State Highway Map, 1936 Alamance County Map of Alamance County with Property Owners, 1893 Alamance County Highway Map, 1938 Alexander County Alexander County Highway Map, 1938 Alleghany County Alleghany County Soil Survey, 1915 Alleghany County Highway Map, 1968 Anson County Gray's New Map of Wadesboro, Anson County, North Carolina, 1882 Anson County Road Map, 1930 Ashe County Ashe County Soil Survey, 1912 Avery County Town site of Linville Avery County Highway Map, 1938 Beaufort County Beaufort County Soil Survey, 1917 Beaufort County Road Map, 1936 Bertie County Bertie County Soil Survey, 1918 Bladen County Bladen County Soil Survey, 1914 Bladen County Highway Map, 1968 Brunswick County Brunswick County Map, 1910 Brunswick County Soil Survey, 1932 Buncombe County Map of Asheville, ca. 1890s Buncombe County Soil Survey, 1920 Map of Asheville, 1921 Burke County Burke County Soil Survey, 1926 Burke County Highway Map, 1938 Cabarrus County Cabarrus County Soil Survey, 1910 Caldwell County Caldwell County Soil Survey, 1917 Caldwell County School Map, 1924 Camden County Map of Elizabeth City, 1881 Soil Survey of Camden and Currituck Counties, 1923 Carteret County Carteret County Soil Survey, 1935 Beaufort Inlet Coast Survey, 1944 Caswell County Caswell County School Districts, 1868 Caswell County Soil Survey, 1908 Catawba County Map of Catawba County, 1886 Catawba County Highway Map, 1938 Chatham County Chatham County Soil Survey, 1933 Plan for Jordan Lake, 1964 Cherokee County Cherokee County Soil Survey, 1921 Chowan County Chowan County Soil Survey, 1906 Clay County Clay County Soil Survey, 1935 Cleveland County Cleveland County Soil Survey, 1918 Columbus County Columbus County Soil Survey, 1915 Craven County A Plan of the Town of New Bern, 1822 A plan of the city of Newbern, 1875 Craven County Soil Survey, 1904 Craven County Soil Survey, 1929 Cumberland County Fayetteville, 1825 Cumberland County Soil Survey, 1922 Currituck County Coast Survey of Albemarle Sound, 1910 From Cape Henry to Currituck Beach, 1913 Coast Survey of Albemarle Sound, 1913 Soil Survey of Camden and Currituck Counties, 1923 Dare County Coast Survey of Albemarle Sound, 1910 Coast Survey of Albemarle Sound, 1913 Dare County Highway Map, 1938 Davidson County Davidson County Soil Survey, 1915 Thomasville Zone Map, 1930 Davie County Davie County Soil Survey, 1927 Mocksville Enterprise Map of Davie County, 1936 Duplin County Duplin County Soil Survey, 1905 Town of Wallace, 1930 Durham County Plan of the City of Durham, N.C., circa 1887 Map of Durham County, 1920 Durham County Soil Survey, 1920 Plan for Jordan Lake, 1964 Edgecombe County Map of Edgecombe County, 1905 Town of Tarboro, n.d. Forsyth County Forsyth County Soil Survey, 1913 Map of Winston-Salem, ca. 1920 City of Winston-Salem Zone Map, 1930 Franklin County Gray's New Map of Louisburg, Franklin County, North Carolina, 1882 Map of Franklin County, 1907 Gaston County Gaston County Soil Survey, 1909 Gates County Gates County Soil Survey, 1929 Gates County Highway Map, 1968 Graham County Graham County Highway Map, 1938 Granville County Gray's New Map of Oxford, Granville County, North Carolina, 1882 Granville County Road Map, 1936 Greene County Greene County Soil Survey, 1924 Guilford County Guilford County Soil Survey, 1920 Guilford County, North Carolina (Highway maintenance map), 1968 Halifax County Halifax County Soil Survey, 1916 Halifax County Highway Map, 1968 Harnett County Harnett County Soil Survey, 1916 Harnett County Highway Map, 1938 Haywood County Haywood County Highway Map, 1938 Henderson County Henderson County Soil Survey, 1907 Main highways, mountain peaks and streams of Henderson County , 1918 Hertford County Hertford County Soil Survey, 1916 Hertford County Highway Map, 1968 Hoke County Hoke County Soil Survey, 1918 Hoke County Highway Map, 1938 Hyde County Hyde County Highway Map, 1938 Iredell County Iredell County Highway Map, 1938 | Jackson County Jackson County Highway Map, 1938 Jackson County Highway Map, 1968 Johnston County Battle of Bentonville, N.C., circa 1891-1895 Johnston County Soil Survey, 1911 Jones County Jones County Soil Survey, 1934 Lee County Lee County Highway Map, 1938 Lenoir County Lenoir County Soil Survey, 1927 Lincoln County Lincoln County Soil Survey, 1914 Macon County Macon County Soil Survey, 1933 Madison County Madison County Soil Survey, 1927 Martin County Martin County Highway Map, 1938 McDowell County McDowell County Highway Map, 1938 Mecklenburg County Map of Charlotte, 1877 Mecklenburg County Soil Survey, 1910 Map of Mecklenburg County, 1911 Mecklenburg County Highway Map,1968 Mitchell County Town site of Linville Mitchell and Yancey Counties Highway Map, 1938 Mitchell County Highway Map, 1967 Montgomery County Rural Delivery Routes, Montgomery County, circa 1910-1919 Moore County Moore County Soil Survey, 1919 Pinehurst Country Club, 1922 Nash County Nash County, 1919 New Hanover County Map showing the entrenchments around Wilmington, 1863 Central Part of Wilmington, circa 1882 Map of New Hanover County, 1886 New Hanover County Soil Survey, 1906 Northampton County Northampton County Soil Survey, 1925 Northampton County Highway Map, 1938 Onslow County Onslow County Soil Survey, 1921 Onslow County Highway Map, 1938 Orange County Orange County Soil Survey, 1918 Topography, Chapel Hill and Vicinity, 1918 Map of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1933 Plan for Jordan Lake, 1964 Pamlico County Pamlico County Soil Survey, 1934 Pasquotank County Map of Elizabeth City, 1881 Pasquotank and Perquimans Counties Soil Survey, 1905 Pender County Proposed Farm City, Pender County, 1922 Pender County Highway Map, 1938 Perquimans County Pasquotank and Perquimans Counties Soil Survey, 1905 Person County Person County Rural Delivery Map, Circa 1910-1919 Person County Soil Survey, 1928 Pitt County Pitt County Soil Survey, 1909 Polk County Polk County Soil Survey, 1923 Randolph County Randolph County Soil Survey, 1915 Richmond County Richmond County Soil Survey, 1911 Robeson County Robeson County Soil Survey, 1908 Rockingham County Rockingham County Highway Map, 1938 Rowan County Rowan County Soil Survey, 1914 Rutherford County Rutherford County Soil Survey, 1914 Sampson County Sampson County Soil Survey, 1924 Scotland County Scotland County Soil Survey, 1909 Stanly County Stanly County Soil Survey, 1916 Stokes County Stokes County Soil Survey, 1934 Surry County Map of Surry County with Property Owners, 1921 Surry County Soil Survey, 1932 Swain County Swain County Highway Map, 1938 Transylvania County Transylvania County Soil Survey, 1906 Tyrrell County Tyrrell County Soil Survey, 1920 Union County Union County School Districts, 1858 Gray's New Map of Monroe, ca. 1882 Union County Soil Survey, 1914 Vance County Vance County Soil Survey, 1918 Wake County Plan of Raleigh, 1867 Wake County Soil Survey, 1914 Map of Raleigh, 1914 Raleigh, N.C. precinct map, 1935 Plan for Jordan Lake, 1964 Warren County Map of Warren County, 1874 Washington County Washington County Soil Survey, 1932 Watauga County Watauga County Soil Survey, 1928 Wayne County Wayne County Soil Survey, 1916 Wilkes County Wilkes County Soil Survey, 1918 Wilson County Wilson County Soil Survey, 1925 Yadkin County Yadkin County Soil Survey, 1924 Yancey County Mitchell and Yancey Counties Highway Map, 1938 Yancey County Highway Map, 1967 |
Historic Overlay Maps. About Historic Overlay Maps Selected maps from the North Carolina Maps project can be viewed as Historic Overlay Maps, layered directly on top of current road maps or satellite images. By fading or 'seeing through' the historic maps, users are able to compare the similarities and differences between old and new maps, and to study the changes in North. The General Assembly incorporated the first North Carolina Historical Society in 1833 at the behest of Governor David L. Swain.No records exist indicating a meeting of the society, but the act, authorizing the incorporators 'to transcribe or cause to be transcribed' public records, presaged future efforts of Swain and others to gather, copy, and print selections from the early records of state.
Technical Notes
The Historic Overlay Map display was developed in the Carolina Digital Library and Archives for 'Going to the Show,' a project documenting the experience of moviegoing in North Carolina in the early twentieth century. 'Going to the Show' is funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by the State Library of North Carolina. The maps presented as Historic Overlay Maps were geo-referenced using the software Global Mapper. The image viewing window was developed using the Google Maps API.
- » 50 States
- » State History
- » Timelines
Important Dates, Events, and Milestones in North Carolina History
Offers a chronological timeline of important dates, events, and milestones in North Carolina history.The first Native Americans cross into North America from Siberia 12,000 to 10,000 years ago. The first permanent settlements appear around 1000 BCE. Approximately 30 Native American tribes are scattered across the area now known as North Carolina. The Iroquois inhabit the mountains in the western part of the state, the Sioux live in the central piedmont area, and the Algonquin live in the southern tidewater area.
One of the original 13 colonies, North Carolina was the first state to instruct its delegates to vote for independence from the British crown during the Continental Congress.
16th Century North Carolina History Timeline
1524 - Giovanni da Verrazano explores the Carolina coast for France.
1540 - Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto explores the southwestern part of the state in search of gold.
1584-1585 - Sir Walter Raleigh sends several shiploads of people to establish the New World's first English colony on North Carolina's Roanoke Island.
1586 - The colonists are forced to return to England due to hardships.
1587 -
- July 2 - John White establishes a second English colony at Roanoke.
- August 18 - Virginia Dare is born, becoming the first English child christened on American soil.
- August 22 - White returns to England for more supplies.
1590 - White returns to Roanoke to find that the settlers have all disappeared. The word 'CROATOAN' is found carved into a tree. The fate of 'The Lost Colony' remains one of the state's most enduring mysteries.
17th Century North Carolina History Timeline
1655 - Nathaniel Batts becomes the first European man to permanently settle in North Carolina.
18th Century North Carolina History Timeline
1705 - Bath, the first town in North Carolina, is built.
1711-1713 - The Tuscarora War between Native Americans and European settlers. After two years of fighting a number of military expeditions, the Tuscarora ended the war, marking the last significant effort by eastern Indians to stop the wave of white settlers crowding them out of their land.
1718 - Blackbeard the pirate is killed off the North Carolina coast.
1729 - North Carolina becomes a royal English colony
1767-1770 - Tryon Palace is built in New Bern, becoming North Carolina's colonial capitol building.
1774 - The women of Edenton, led by Penelope Barker, take on British rule by putting down their tea cups in what becomes known as the Edenton Tea Party.
1776 -
- February 27 - Whigs defeat the Tories the Battle of Moores Creek Bridge is the first battle of the American Revolution to be fought in North Carolina.
- April 12 - North Carolina becomes the first state to vote in favor of independence.
1789 -
- November 21 - North Carolina becomes the 12th state of the United States of America.
- December 11 - The University of North Carolina is chartered, becoming the first public school in the United States.
1794 - The capital of North Carolina, which had previously been located in New Bern, is moved to Raleigh.
1795 - Univ. of North Carolina becomes the nation's first state university
1799 - The first gold nugget is found in the United States at Reed Gold Mine in Cabarrus County.
19th Century North Carolina History Timeline
Early 1800s -North Carolina becomes known as the 'Rip Van Winkle' state because it makes so little progress that it appears to be asleep.
1804 -The 'Walton War' is fought between residents of Georgia and North Carolina.
1828 - North Carolina Native Andrew Jackson becomes the 7th president of the United States.
1830s - The US government forces Cherokee Indians from their homes in what becomes known as the 'Trail of Tears.' Many Cherokee hide in the mountains of North Carolina.
1831 - Workmen attempting to fireproof the roof of the State Capitol ironically end up setting the building aflame.
1836 -After years of having governors elected by the state senate, Edward B. Dudley becomes the first popularly elected governor of North Carolina.
1840 -
- The first public schools open in North Carolina, based on a plan that had been drafted in 1817.
- The new State Capitol is completed.
1845 - James Polk becomes the 11th president of the United States.
1853 - The first North Carolina State Fair is held.
1861 - May 20 - North Carolina leaves the Union. Instead of voting to secede from the United States, as other states did, North Carolina voted to 'undo' the act that had brought it into the United States.
1861-1865 -The United States Civil War. Some 40,000 North Carolinians are killed over the course of the war.
1865 -
- March 19-21 - The Battle of Bentonville becomes the bloodiest battle fought in North Carolina. The Confederates are defeated by Union troops.
- April 26 - A large number of Confederates surrender at Bennett Place, outside of Durham, North Carolina.
- May 6 - The last Confederate troops in North Carolina surrender.
- April 15 - Andrew Johnson becomes the 17th president of the United States.
1866 - Tuscarora Indian Henry Berry Lowrie leads a revolt in Robeson County, becoming a folk hero to many Native Americans. Six years later, he mysteriously disappears.
1868 - July 4 - North Carolina is readmitted to the Union.
1877 -
- The last federal reoccupation troops leave North Carolina.
- The North Carolina Department of Agriculture is created.
1878 - A Cherokee reservation is formed in Western North Carolina, providing protection for those Native Americans who lived in that area.
Late1800s - The textile and furniture industries grow rapidly in North Carolina.
1897 - The first bill to give women the right to vote in North Carolina is proposed, but is sent to a committee on insane asylums and is never passed.
20th Century North Carolina History Timeline
1903 - The Wright brothers make man's first successful flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
1917 - The United States enters World War I.
1918 - Fort Bragg is established.
1920 - The 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution passes, giving women the right to vote across the country, including in North Carolina.
1920s - Tobacco becomes an important crop in North Carolina.
1929 - The Great Depression begins.
1941 - The United States enters World War II.
1943 - Pembroke State College for Indians (now UNC-Pembroke) becomes the nation's first public four-year college for Native Americans.
1954 -Hurricane Hazel, one of the most destructive hurricanes in state history, batters the Carolina coast.
1959 - Research Triangle Park opens in between Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, ushering in an era of high-tech growth in North Carolina.
1950s-1960s - The Civil Rights Movement.
1960 -
- Governor Terry Sanford starts his 'Go Forward' program to improve education in North Carolina.
- February 1 - The first ever sit-in occurs in Greensboro, North Carolina, to protest segregation at a lunch counter. Within days, sit-ins are occurring across the state.
1960s - The North Carolina Fund, established by Governor Sanford, works to end poverty in North Carolina and becomes a model for programs across the nation.
1965-1973 - Vietnam War.
1989 - Hurricane Hugo strikes North Carolina, reaching as far inland as Charlotte, and doing major damage.
Nc History Mr.o's Maps
1993 -The Smart Start program to improve school readiness begins. The program is looked upon as a national model.
1994 -The Raleigh-Durham area of North Carolina is ranked as the best place to live in the United States.
1996 -Hurricane Fran strikes North Carolina, causing massive damage across the state.
Governor Jim Hunt is re-elected to a record 4th term.
Elaine F. Marshall becomes the first female to be elected Secretary of State in North Carolina.
1999 -Hurricane Floyd slams into North Carolina, bringing with it flood waters that devastate many areas in the eastern part of the state.
21st Century North Carolina History Timeline
2003 - Police arrested Olympic bombing suspect, Eric Robert Rudolph, in Murphy
Nc History Mr O S P
2005 - State legislature voted implementation of state lottery
2006 -
- North Carolina Hurricanes won hockey's Stanley Cup;
- 17,000 people evacuated after explosion at chemical plant near Apex
2009 - Seven people in North Carolina charged with plotting terror attacks in foreign countries, including Israel and Jordan
2010 - Duke University won NCAA Championship
2011 - Huricane Irene made landfall in North Carolina