RELIC’s large map collection offers the opportunity for the public to learn more about Prince William County and the surrounding area, dating back over a century. One of the interesting maps in this collection showing landowners and geographic features in Prince William County is the 1901 Brown Map.

RELIC has a full-sized copy of the 1901 Brown map, generously donated to RELIC by the Prince William Historical Commission. It was the first detailed map produced after the Civil War. RELIC’s copy of the map can be viewed on the wall outside RELIC toward the Quiet Study area at Central Library. A digital copy that allows you to enlarge and explore in more detail is available on the RELIC Digital Archives webpage. The link will redirect you to the Library of Congress’s website.

For those who want to do a deep dive into the authors William H. Brown and William N. Brown of the Brown Map, there is an informative article in the April 2008 edition of Reliquary, Vol. 7, no. 2.