the Connecticut Map Society
Dedicated to the study and appreciation of maps, with a special emphasis on Connecticut cartography
the Connecticut Map Society
Dedicated to the study and appreciation of maps, with a special emphasis on Connecticut cartography
about the society
The Connecticut Map Society was founded in 2017 by three map enthusiasts: Connie Brown, Brian Tims, and Maryann Ott. The purpose of the Connecticut Map Society, a non-profit corporation, is to promote the study of cartography and its history, to encourage map collecting, and to support the preservation of the world’s cartographic heritage. Membership is open to everyone and includes collectors, dealers, curators, academics, cartographers, and those who simply enjoy maps.
We believe in the potential and power of maps to touch us and communicate about our world in ways that only the cartographic image can achieve. Our interests include, but are not limited to, cartographic history, the role of maps in exploration and discovery, maps as art, the intersection of maps and technology, global and political maps and contemporary mapping practices.
We come together about six times a year. Our events are held at various locations around the state of Connecticut, and are an opportunity for members to enjoy presentations by a wide variety of speakers, scholars, collectors, curators and creators of maps. On occasion, arrangements are made for special field trips to view private map collections, museum shows, gallery exhibitions, special lectures, and map-related events.
If you love maps, want to learn more about them, and want to meet others who share a similar passion, we encourage you to join the Connecticut Map Society!
Meet our founders:
Brian Tims, our President, is an attorney who enjoys collecting and researching antique maps (and globes, too). His areas of interest include nautical maps of Long Island Sound, early maps of Connecticut, and bird’s eye views of New England.
Connie Brown, our Vice-President, makes hand-painted custom canvas wall maps for individuals, organizations, and companies. She is interested in all kinds of mapping, historical and current.
Maryann Ott, our Treasurer, is a visual artist who often uses maps in the creation of one-of-a-kind works of hand-colored photography, collage, and ephemera. As an amateur astronomer, she is especially interested in celestial maps.
membership
We welcome you to join the Connecticut Map Society. As we are a volunteer organization, your membership dues directly support the honoraria paid to our presenters, the administration and hosting of our website, and meeting related expenses.
We currently offer three membership levels, with dues paid annually:
Student Members ($25) join us at a discounted membership rate and are welcome at all events.
Basic Members ($35) are welcome at all events and their dues help cover our administrative costs.
Sustaining Members ($75) are those who provide the Connecticut Map Society with additional resources to bring high-profile speakers to our events. We thank our Sustaining Members: Frank Cochran, David Grigsby, Paul Lombroso and Jan Naegele.
Charter Members are the generous, early supporters of our mission. We thank our Charter Members: Connie Brown, Neil Currie, Ron Gagliardi, Steve Hanon, Peter Herbst, Hazel Jarvis, Andrew Kapochunas, Barbara Lamb, Duncan Milne, David Moulton, Maryann Ott, Deborah Shapiro, Brian Tims, and Johan (Joop) Varekamp.
Time to RENEW your membership? Just mail a check to Connecticut Map Society, 67 Jaenicke Lane, Hamden, CT 06517, or bring a check to the next event.
upcoming events
Field Trip to Whitlock Book Barn
When: Saturday, October 18, 2pm
Where: 20 Sperry Road, Bethany, CT 06524
A Connecticut treasure, Whitlock’s Book Barn has been in business since 1948. In its two red barns, you’ll find hundreds of used books and maps. Because map lovers tend to be book lovers, we think this field trip is for you. Store Manager Meg Turner will preside, describing the store’s history and showing us a selection of maps from the collection. Thereafter, you’re free to browse their maps and books. Please note that one area of the barn is accessible only by stairs. An RSVP to Connie Brown (brownie487@gmail.com) is requested but not required to attend.
Antique Map Collecting 101: Foxing, soiling, and worm holes, oh my!
When: Saturday, November 22 at 2pm
Where: Woodbury Public Library, 269 Main Street South, Woodbury, CT 06798 (in the Library Gallery Space)
Are you intrigued by old maps, and perhaps collect them too? Are you confused and tongue-tied by jargon such as “foxing” or “neat line”, or simply not sure where to start or how to develop your collection? Come join us as our president, Brian Tims, enlightens us about collecting (and, most importantly, enjoying) antique and vintage maps of all types. Brian will be your sherpa as he walks you through the land of collecting, including how to define your collection, where to search for and acquire maps, evaluating them, negotiating, and preserving your collection.
Click here to view the event on the library’s website and to pre-register.
Our Annual Show & Tell
When: Saturday, December 6, 2-4 pm
Where: Mitchell Library, 37 Harrison Street, New Haven CT 06515
We’re switching gears this year, holding this event in the afternoon at Mitchell Library in the Westville section of New Haven. It’s a friendly space with a big parking lot and, for those who care, no stairs. Here’s how Show & Tell works: six people give short (10 minute) talks about a map or map topic that interests them. It can be anything cartographic, from an antique map with an interesting backstory to a hand-rendered map to an intriguing map from a publication. If you’d like to give a talk, register with Connie Brown, our events manager: brownie487@gmail.com. First come, first served! Warning: we cut you off at 10 minutes, so plan your talks accordingly. No need to register if you’re attending as a member of the audience.
Antique Map Collecting 101: Foxing, soiling, and worm holes, oh my!
When: Friday, January 30, 2026 at 6pm
Where: Killingworth Library, 301 Route 81, Killingworth, CT 06419 (in the Meeting Room)
Will you miss Brian’s other talk? Join us for this encore presentation as he travels the state in the name of maps.
Click here to view the event on the library’s website and to pre-register (after December 5).
past events
May 31, 2025 – Manuscript Mapmaking 101: A Workshop, by Vice President Connie Brown at Mitchell Library, New Haven
May 10, 2025 – Edwin Howell: Mapping Early Explorations of the American West, by Ellen Thomas and Joop Varekamp at Wesleyan University, Middletown
February 1, 2025 – “Antique Map Collecting 101: Foxing, soiling, and worm holes, oh my!”, by President Brian Tims, at the Avon Free Public Library
December 6, 2024 – Annual Show & Tell Event, Hamden
October 13, 2024 – “Antique Map Collecting 101: Foxing, soiling, and worm holes, oh my!”, by President Brian Tims, at the South Windsor Library
December 1, 2023 – Annual Show & Tell Event, New Haven
May 20, 2023 – Guided Tour of Yale Gallery’s exhibit entitled “Crafting Worldviews: Art and Science in Europe, 1500-1800, New Haven
December 2, 2022 – Annual Show & Tell Event, New Haven
October 15, 2022 – Guided Tour of “The World in Maps, 1400–1600” at Yale’s Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, New Haven
December 6, 2019 – Annual Show & Tell Event, Middlefield
November 9, 2019 -Guided Tour of “War, Maps, Mystery: Dutch Mapmaker Bernard Romans and the American Revolution” at The Connecticut Historical Society, Hartford
October 26, 2019 – “Frames that Speak: An Introduction to Cartographic Cartouches” a talk by Chet Van Duzer at the Institute Library, New Haven
September 28, 2019 – Exhibit: “America Transformed: Mapping the 19th Century” at the Leventhal Map Center, Boston Public Library
June 1, 2019 – MapMeet social gathering, Durham
April 6, 2019 – Field trip to the Argosy Book Store, New York City
March 10, 2019 – “Antique Map Collecting 101: Foxing, soiling, and worm holes, oh my!”, by Vice President Brian Tims, at the Stratford Library
February 23, 2019 – Exhibit: “Navigating the World: Geospatial Approaches” at Yale, Center for Science and Social Science Information (CSSSI), New Haven
November 30, 2018 – Annual Show & Tell Event at Lyric Hall, New Haven
October 20, 2018 – Field Trip: Litchfield Historical Society
May 5, 2018 – Field Trip: Nautical Charts at the Connecticut River Museum, Essex
March 24, 2018 – Guided Tour of Yale University’s renowned cartographic treasures at the Beinecke Library, New Haven
November 18, 2017 – Annual Show & Tell Event, Durham
October 7, 2017 – “Apocalyptic Cartography: Thematic Maps and the End of the World in a Fifteenth-Century Manuscript”, a talk by Chet Van Duzer at Wesleyan University, Middletown
September 23, 2017 – Field Trip to the Connecticut State Library Map Collection, Hartford
May 13, 2017 – “Adriaen Block, the Discovery of Long Island Sound, and the New Netherlands Colony: What Drove the Course of History?”, a talk by Johan (Joop) Varekamp at Wesleyan University, Middletown
April 9, 2017 – Launch of the Connecticut Map Society, Social Gathering, Durham
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contact us
The Connecticut Map Society is staffed by volunteers. Every effort will be made to respond to your inquiry in a timely manner.
Please send us your message using the form below or email us at:
ctmapsociety@gmail.com
links
Below are links to cartographic resources on the web. Members may suggest additional links either at our meetings or by emailing ctmapsociety@gmail.com.
The Map Room is a blog about maps by Jonathan Crowe that covers everything from antique map collecting to the latest in geospatial technology.
An invaluable resource of over 71,000 historical maps and map images, the David Rumsey Map Collection Database and Blog includes rare 16th through 21st century maps of America, North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Pacific and the World.
A private, nonprofit, educational organization established in 1825, the Connecticut Historical Society is the state’s official historical society and one of the oldest in the nation. The CHS houses a museum, library, and the Edgar F. Waterman Research Center and a collection that includes more than 4 million manuscripts, graphics, books, artifacts, maps and other historical materials.
Our wonderful neighbors to the west.
The Chicago Map Society is the oldest in North America.
The William P. Cummings Map Society is located in North Carolina and has an informative blog with map news and local events.
Our wonderful neighbors to the northeast.
The California Map Society was founded in 1978 and has a website with many links of interest to map lovers.
A great map blog from the Library of Congress.
Source of map displayed on homepage: Damerum, William, and Peter Maverick. Map of the southern part of the state of New York including Long Island, the Sound, the state of Connecticut, part of the state of New Jersey, and islands adjacent: compiled from actual late surveys. New York: Wm. Damerum, 1815. Map. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/97683279/. (Accessed December 05, 2016.)