Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - 1687 Colonial Map

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - 1687 Colonial Map

Experience William Penn's "Holy Experiment" in its infancy with this remarkable 1687 map of colonial Pennsylvania by Surveyor General Thomas Holme. Created just five years after Penn founded Philadelphia in 1682, this hand-colored map documents one of history's boldest social experiments—a colony founded on religious tolerance, planned settlement, and peaceful coexistence with Native Americans. The map shows the carefully surveyed counties, townships, and individual property lots that transformed Penn's vision into reality.

Penn's Planned Colony

This meticulously detailed map reveals the orderly settlement of early Pennsylvania. The main map displays Philadelphia, Chester, and Bucks Counties divided into townships and individual lots, with hundreds of landholders' names marking their properties throughout the countryside. The Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers curve through the landscape in hand-colored green, defining the geography of settlement. At the top, an inset shows "The city of Philadelphia, two miles in length and one in breadth"—Penn's revolutionary grid-plan city that would become a model for American urban planning. The famous rectangular street grid, unlike the organic medieval layouts of European cities, reflects Enlightenment ideals of order and rational design. Indexes on both sides list the landholders who purchased property in Penn's colony, many of them Quakers and other religious minorities seeking freedom from persecution. William Penn's coat of arms graces the map, symbolizing proprietary authority over this vast colonial enterprise.

Historical Significance

This 1687 map preserves a crucial moment in American colonial history. When Charles II granted William Penn the charter for Pennsylvania in 1681 to settle a debt owed to Penn's father, the Quaker leader envisioned a colony radically different from others in the New World. Penn's "Frame of Government" established religious freedom, representative government, and fair treatment of Native Americans—revolutionary principles that would influence the U.S. Constitution a century later. Thomas Holme, Penn's surveyor general, laid out the colony with unprecedented precision, creating the orderly system of townships and lots visible on this map. By 1687, thousands of settlers—Quakers, German Pietists, Welsh, and others fleeing religious persecution—had purchased land and begun building communities. Philadelphia grew so rapidly that within decades it would become British America's largest city. This map documents the foundation of that success: careful planning, clear property rights, and Penn's vision of a colony where people of different faiths could live together in peace. The original 1687 map became so sought-after that it was reissued multiple times through the 1730s, testament to its importance as both practical guide and promotional tool for Penn's thriving colony.

Museum-Quality Reproduction

This is a high-quality reproduction of the original 1687 colonial map, professionally printed using museum-grade methods and materials to preserve every detail of this historically significant document.

Perfect For:

• Pennsylvania residents and colonial history enthusiasts
• Students of William Penn and Quaker history
• Collectors of early American maps and documents
• Anyone fascinated by the founding of American colonies
• Gift-giving for Philadelphia natives and history lovers

Specifications:

• Original Publication: 1687 (this version circa 1730, third issue)
• Title: A mapp of ye improved part of Pensilvania in America, divided into countyes, townships, and lotts
• Cartographer: Thomas Holme, Surveyor General
• Style: Hand-colored colonial survey map
• Features: Philadelphia city grid inset, landholders' names, property lots, townships, counties, indexes, William Penn's coat of arms
• Coverage: Philadelphia, Chester, and Bucks Counties
• Historical Context: Five years after Pennsylvania's founding, documenting Penn's "Holy Experiment"
• Product Type: High-Quality Reproduction Print

Dimensions (Width x Height): 26.8 x 23.1

Each map is printed using the finest materials and methods. Your map will be handled with white gloves from start to finish. We use the Giclee printing method on Hahnemuhle paper, which produces a clear, extremely detailed, durable map that is perfect to be proudly displayed in your home or office.

Digital watermark does not appear on your purchased map.