GLO | Archives and Records

The Map Collection of the
Texas General Land Office

Searchable Map Catalog
Favorite Maps of GLO Staff
Ordering Information

Much of the story of Texas lands is told and reflected through the vast archival map collection of the Texas General Land Office. Our collection consists of more than 80,000 manuscript and lithograph (printed) maps, sketches and documents dating from the early 1800s. Many of these maps and sketches were drawn by early Texas settlers, trailblazing surveyors and enterprising German immigrants who were especially skilled in the drafting arts of the mid- to late- 19th century.

Our collection includes maps or sketches of Texas (Pre-Republic, Republic and State), its counties, colonies, some cities, many railroad routes, and much more. These maps reflect the disposition of public land, one of the charter responsibilities of the GLO, and are a vast resource for researchers looking for forts, Indian villages, large ranches, waterways and many other interesting aspects of Texas history and geography.

The map collection of the Texas General Land Office represents over 170 years of creation, accumulation and dedicated stewardship. This stewardship includes conservation and preservation and a digital scanning program that has made many of our maps/sketches available for viewing online.

For more information about specific collections or how to get copies of GLO maps, we invite you to follow the links below:

County Maps
Republic of Texas, Colony, and District Maps
State Maps
City Maps
Sketch File Collection

County Maps

Our archival map collection contains thousands of county maps showing original surveys, usually made by virtue of a land grant, within a particular county. In many ways these maps represent the foundation of our archival map holdings as they tie directly into our original land grant documents that are also housed at the GLO. As land was patented by settlers, meaning title was issued from the sovereign, more surveys were shown on GLO maps. Successive versions of these maps reflect those changes. In short, these maps reveal the development and expansion as settlement progressed throughout each county.
Beginning in the early 1840s, the majority of the county maps in our collection were compiled and drawn by draftsmen at the Land Office. Most are manuscript maps, meaning original hand-drawn works. On many maps, draftsmen would often draw intricate designs and add whimsically detailed art, adding character to many maps in this collection.
Several well-known individuals worked as draftsman at the Land Office, including the famous short story writer and satirist O. Henry (William Sydney Porter), artist Hermann Lungkwitz, architect Conrad C. Stremme and Charles W. Pressler.

Republic of Texas, Colony, and District Maps

Our collection includes several maps of connected surveys in areas settled by empresarios. These include Stephen F. Austin's well-known early colonies in central and southeast Texas and the troubled Peters Colony in north Texas, which culminated in an 1852 settlers' armed attack on the office of the colony's agent over land ownership problems.
We also have a number of maps in our collection that were created during a time when Texas was an independent nation from 1836 - 1846. Some of these maps show Texas with its largest boundaries, with land holdings reaching into modern-day Wyoming.
District maps include over-sized manuscript maps of the large districts that feature multiple counties, as we know them today. These include an 1839 map of portions of the Bexar District around San Antonio, a map of the Fannin District stretching across north Texas, huge maps of the Nacogdoches District in east Texas and a map of the Robertson District in north central Texas.

State Maps

As a State Agency, the GLO possesses numerous historic and modern-era maps that reflect Texas since becoming a part of the United States in 1846. These maps chart the progress of Texas history from the expansion of the settled frontier to the development of railroads. We have hundreds of different State of Texas maps, all reflecting unique information.

City Maps

The GLO houses a number of historical city maps, even some of cities that do not exist today. For example, an 1839 map of Calhoun, which was set to be a planned city on Matagorda Island but abandoned by 1845. Also is a map of Indianola, an important landing point for German immigrants. We also have lavish maps originally printed to market subdivisions and developments in cities like Austin and along the Gulf Coast.

Sketch File Collection

Throughout the history of the GLO a number of sketches, correspondence, reports, letters, and other miscellaneous documents relating to the mapping and surveying of Texas land have been filed with the agency's Surveying Division. Of primary interest to professional surveyors, this collection also contains information important to those researching the history of a specific area. This collection can now be viewed in its entirety through the on-line catalog.


	The Map Collection of the Texas General Land Office Searchable Map Catalog Favorite Maps of GLO Staff Ordering Information Much of the story of Texas lands is told and reflected through the vast archival map collection of the Texas General Land Office. Our collection consists of more than 80,000 manuscript and lithograph (printed) maps, sketches and documents dating from the early 1800s. Many of these maps and sketches were drawn by early Texas settlers, trailblazing surveyors and enterprising German immigrants who were especially skilled in the drafting arts of the mid- to late- 19th century. Our collection includes maps or sketches of Texas (Pre-Republic, Republic and State), its counties, colonies, some cities, many railroad routes, and much more. These maps reflect the disposition of public land, one of the charter responsibilities of the GLO, and are a vast resource for researchers looking for forts, Indian villages, large ranches, waterways and many other interesting aspects of Texas history and geography. The map collection of the Texas General Land Office represents over 170 years of creation, accumulation and dedicated stewardship. This stewardship includes conservation and preservation and a digital scanning program that has made many of our maps/sketches available for viewing online. For more information about specific collections or how to get copies of GLO maps, we invite you to follow the links below: County Maps Republic of Texas, Colony, and District Maps State Maps City Maps Sketch File Collection County Maps Our archival map collection contains thousands of county maps showing original surveys, usually made by virtue of a land grant, within a particular county. In many ways these maps represent the foundation of our archival map holdings as they tie directly into our original land grant documents that are also housed at the GLO. As land was patented by settlers, meaning title was issued from the sovereign, more surveys were shown on GLO maps. Successive versions of these maps reflect those changes. In short, these maps reveal the development and expansion as settlement progressed throughout each county. Beginning in the early 1840s, the majority of the county maps in our collection were compiled and drawn by draftsmen at the Land Office. Most are manuscript maps, meaning original hand-drawn works. On many maps, draftsmen would often draw intricate designs and add whimsically detailed art, adding character to many maps in this collection. Several well-known individuals worked as draftsman at the Land Office, including the famous short story writer and satirist O. Henry (William Sydney Porter), artist Hermann Lungkwitz, architect Conrad C. Stremme and Charles W. Pressler. Republic of Texas, Colony, and District Maps Our collection includes several maps of connected surveys in areas settled by empresarios. These include Stephen F. Austin's well-known early colonies in central and southeast Texas and the troubled Peters Colony in north Texas, which culminated in an 1852 settlers' armed attack on the office of the colony's agent over land ownership problems. We also have a number of maps in our collection that were created during a time when Texas was an independent nation from 1836 - 1846. Some of these maps show Texas with its largest boundaries, with land holdings reaching into modern-day Wyoming. District maps include over-sized manuscript maps of the large districts that feature multiple counties, as we know them today. These include an 1839 map of portions of the Bexar District around San Antonio, a map of the Fannin District stretching across north Texas, huge maps of the Nacogdoches District in east Texas and a map of the Robertson District in north central Texas. State Maps As a State Agency, the GLO possesses numerous historic and modern-era maps that reflect Texas since becoming a part of the United States in 1846. These maps chart the progress of Texas history from the expansion of the settled frontier to the development of railroads. We have hundreds of different State of Texas maps, all reflecting unique information. City Maps The GLO houses a number of historical city maps, even some of cities that do not exist today. For example, an 1839 map of Calhoun, which was set to be a planned city on Matagorda Island but abandoned by 1845. Also is a map of Indianola, an important landing point for German immigrants. We also have lavish maps originally printed to market subdivisions and developments in cities like Austin and along the Gulf Coast. Sketch File Collection Throughout the history of the GLO a number of sketches, correspondence, reports, letters, and other miscellaneous documents relating to the mapping and surveying of Texas land have been filed with the agency's Surveying Division. Of primary interest to professional surveyors, this collection also contains information important to those researching the history of a specific area. This collection can now be viewed in its entirety through the on-line catalog.
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The Map Collection of the Texas General Land Office

The Map Collection of the
Texas General Land Office