Recently Discovered Charts Link Maine to Slave Economy

Sixteen nautical charts, discovered walled up in a downtown Brunswick business’s upstairs room, were recently donated to the Maine State Museum. The charts, used by Brunswick sea captain and shipping agent Robert T. Giveen (1808-1862) were published between 1831 and 1858, and detail shipping between European and American Atlantic and Gulf ports.

Giveen was an accomplished sea captain who, with his father-in-law Clement Martin, operated a successful shipping company out of Brunswick. With its 15 vessels, the company primarily shipped goods from the American South and Caribbean to European ports. The goods, produced by slave labor, included tobacco and cotton from Mobile (Alabama) and New Orleans, and sugar and other products from Matanzas and Havana, Cuba.

One of Capt. Giveen’s annotations from 1848 [MSM2024.59].

One chart, published in 1832 and heavily annotated by Capt. Giveen, documents the movements of three of his ships over several decades. Showing detailed routes, with dates and destinations, Giveen's annotated chart illustrates the movement of slave economy goods between American Gulf and European ports. More broadly, this chart, hidden inside a wall for over 130 years, reveals the ties of one Maine business to the Atlantic slave economy prior to the Civil War.

Giveen’s annotated 1832 chart was heavily used, with considerable damage and staining. The museum has sent it out for conservation treatment to ensure that this unique document will be available for future researchers seeking to better understand Maine’s merchant shipping history and the voyages of Capt. Giveen.