Alabama Maps are an invaluable part of family history research, especially if you live far from where your ancestor lived. Because Alabama political boundaries often changed, historic maps are critical in helping you discover the precise location of your ancestor’s hometown, what land they owned, who their neighbors were, and more.
Alabama County Formation Map
Alabama Antique Maps & Atlases
See U.S. State & County Boundary Maps and Antique Atlases to view free map images of antique maps & atlases maps during the years 1732 to 1897 for the entire United States as well as other states and countries.
These are scanned from the original copies so you can see Alabama and Alabama counties as our ancestors saw them over a hundred years ago. Some Alabama maps years (not all) have cities, railroads, P.O. locations, township outlines and other features useful to the avid genealogist in Alabama. Alabama was at one time part of Georgia and the Mississippi Territory before becoming a state.
- 1795 Georgia - Georgia, from the latest Authorities. W. Barker, sculp. – Alabama was part of Georgia
- 1804 United States Atlas - Relief shown by hachures. Shows states, settlements, Indian tribes, rivers, etc. Prime meridians: London and Philadelphia.
- 1804 Mississippi Territory Atlas - Alabama was part of the Mississippi Territory
- 1814 Atlas of Mississippi Territory – Area in outline color
- 1822 Geographical, Historical, And Statistical Map Of Alabama
- 1827 Atlas of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Constructed from the Latest Authorities – Relief shown by hachures. Prime meridian Washington. Statistical table for each state. Marshlands along Gulf of Mexico well .
- 1836 Atlas Of Alabama With Its Roads & Distances from place to place, along the Stage & Steam Boat Routes
- 1845 Alabama Atlas - Col. wax engraved map. Relief shown by hachures. Prime meridians: Greenwich and Washington.
- 1856 Alabama Atlas
- 1866 State of Alabama – It is noted that the whole central region in underlaid with iron ore. Also found are coal and lead ore.
- 1880 County map of the states of Georgia and Alabama (with) Savannah, Georgia. (with) City of Atlanta, the capitol of Georgia. Shows settlements, railroads, rivers, etc. Prime meridians: Greenwich and Washington.
Alabama County D.O.T. Road and Highway Maps
The Alabama Highway Department has prepared a series of county road maps. These maps contain more detailed information about man-made features than the geological survey maps. In addition to roads and boundaries, these maps include rural communities, churches, and cemeteries. The maps are available for a nominal fee from the Alabama Highway Department, Bureau of Planning and Programming, Montgomery, AL 36130.
To View the Map: Just click the Image to view the map online. In order to make the Image size as small as possible they were save on the lowest resolution.
Alabama Map Description & Links
Several books of Alabama locations, place-names, boundaries, and maps exist. All of Alabama has been mapped in cooperation with the U.S. Geological Survey and the Geological Survey of Alabama . These topographic quadrangle maps show selected artificial and natural features as well as the shape and elevation of features. Features include state, county, and municipal boundary lines; townships, ranges, roads, railroads, and buildings; and mountains, valleys, streams, and rivers. The earliest survey maps for Alabama are dated from 1901. Modern maps are indexed at the USGS website.
Another important series of maps for incorporated municipalities is the Sanborn Fire Insurance maps. These maps, include 110 Alabama communities ,date from 1884 to 1950. The maps indicate street names, property boundaries, building use, and, in some cases, property owners. Originals are available in the Library of Congress and in the University of Alabama Library.
- Alabama Digital Map Library (usgwarchives.org)
- AlabamaCivil War Maps – Maps, charts, and atlases depicting battles, troop positions and movements, engagements, and fortifications in Alabama during the Civil War, 1861-1865.
- Rucker Agee Map Collection (mcwetboy.net), a privately acquired donation at the Birmingham Public Library, is an incomparable collection of maps documenting the cartographic history of the southeast and particularly Alabama
- Alabama Maps, Atlases & Gazetteers (ancestry.com) Maps are an invaluable part of family history research, especially if you live far from where your ancestor lived. Because political boundaries often changed, historic maps are critical in helping you discover the precise location of your ancestor’s hometown, what land they owned, who their neighbors were, and more.
- Omni Gazetteer of the United States of America: National Edition (amazon.com)
- Tracing Your Alabama Past by Robert S. Davis (amazon.com)
- Alabama: Atlas of Historical County Boundaries (Atlas of Historical County Boundaries Alabama) by Peggy Tuck Sinko (amazon.com), shows changes in county boundaries are shown in detail on modern county maps.
- Alabama Map Books – Amazon.com
- Volume 1 of Historical Atlas of Alabama (amazon.com) locates historical sites on modern maps.
- Alabama Live Gulf Shores: Maps (al.com) – Maps of the Gulf Shores area.
- Alabama Maps (lib.utexas.edu) The Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection.
- Alabama Maps (alabamamaps.ua.edu) Provides a historical archive and contemporary index to images and information.
- Color Landform Atlas: Alabama (fermi.jhuapl.edu) The Johns Hopkins University hosts this map collection of Alabama.
- Lake Martin Maps (lakemartin.com) Interactive maps of Lake Martin, including Tallapoosa Creek, Kowaliga Bay, and Big Kowaliga Creek. Map links include aerial photos, marina locations, parks, and notable landmarks.
- Alabama State Maps Collection (geology.com)
- Alabama Maps (http://alabamamaps.ua.edu/)
- Alabama Dept. of Transportation maps (dot.state.al.us)
- Alabama Genealogy: Maps (alabamagenealogy.org)
- Alabama Maps (cber.cba.ua.edu)
- Alabama County Maps (http://www.censusfinder.com/mapal.htm)
- The History of the Black Belt (southernspaces.org)
- Geologic and Geographic Setting (geo.ua.edu)
- Panoramic Maps, 1847-1929 (memory.loc.gov)
- Joe’s Alabama Road History (members.tripod.com)
- A list of nineteenth century maps of the State of Alabama (amazon.com) , by Sara Elizabeth Mason, is helpful in identifying and locating early Alabama maps. The list includes the holdings of the library of the Alabama Department of Archives and History (archives.state.al.us), Auburn University in Auburn, the University of Alabama, Samford University, Mobile Public Library, and Birmingham Public Library . Descriptive annotations as well as detailed physical descriptions add to the usefulness of the list.
- U.S., Indexed County Land Ownership Maps, 1860-1918 (ancestry.com)
- Alabama Maps Description (ancestry.com) from Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources.
