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Interesting Late Edition of the First Official Map of the State of New Jersey
This is the scarce 1850 edition of Thomas Gordon’s landmark map of New Jersey, issued by Robert E. Horner and newly engraved by Edward Yeager. Most notably, this edition includes two important visual additions: the Great Seal of the State of New Jersey, prominently displayed, and a finely rendered vignette of the state capital at Trenton, engraved into the upper left corner—a patriotic embellishment absent from earlier versions.
Originally published in 1828, Gordon’s map was the first large-format official map of New Jersey printed in the United States. Authorized by the New Jersey legislature in 1822 and completed six years later, the map was based on original materials gathered throughout the state and supplemented where necessary by Gordon’s own surveys. The result was a highly detailed and authoritative representation of New Jersey’s townships, counties, roads, waterways, canals, churches, mills, and natural features, drawn at a scale of three miles to the inch.
Engraved initially by Henry S. Tanner, E.B. Dawson, and W. Allen, the map quickly became the standard reference for the state. It was reissued in 1833 and then revised and updated in a series of editions by Robert E. Horner in 1849, 1850, 1853, and 1854. The Hornor version, substantially reengraved by Yeager, reflects mid-19th-century updates to the state’s infrastructure while retaining the original framework laid out by Gordon. The addition of the seal and the Trenton engraving enhances both the visual appeal and symbolic stature of this already monumental map.
