DESCRIPTION: Early first edition topographical survey map of Lynn Woods, published in 1892 when the region's remaining natural landscapes were first being documented. Executed in the precise hachured style of late-19th-century engineering surveys, the sheet records ponds, ridgelines, and the internal structure of the reservation with clarity suited to watershed and woodland management. Its focus on terrain and hydrology reflects the survey methods used just before creation of the Metropolitan Park Commission.
This map reflects the conservation principles advanced by landscape architect Charles Eliot, who emphasized that sound public decisions must rest on accurate knowledge of the land. As he stated, "We must first know the character of the land if we are to judge wisely concerning its future use." Eliot also pointed to Lynn Woods as an early example of successful municipal action, observing that "Lynn has taken steps which other towns would do well to study." The survey represents that period in regional planning when detailed documentation of terrain, water, and forest formed the basis for long-term preservation efforts.
Two editions of McClintock's map exist: this original 1892 survey and a second 1910 revised edition updated by Charles A. Lawrence. The later edition shows added carriage roads, wood roads, and footpaths, including routes into areas previously shown as inaccessible, such as "The Island" in Tomlin's Swamp.
By 1910 a forester's house and an access road near Dog Hill appear, while the Belt Line Railway Station and track at the end of Park Avenue, present in 1892, are gone. These changes illustrate Lynn Woods' shift from a watershed landscape to a more formally managed public reservation.
The only other recorded example of this map in WorldCat is held by the Harvard Library.
J. B. McClintock was a late-19th-century civil engineer and surveyor active in the Boston and North Shore region, best known for his detailed topographical work on Lynn Woods and surrounding municipal lands. His 1892 survey of Lynn Woods, drawn in precise hachured relief and grounded in on-the-ground measurement, is the most substantial surviving example of his cartographic output. McClintock’s maps were produced for municipal agencies concerned with watershed protection, boundary definition, and woodland management at a moment when Lynn was consolidating its forest holdings into a formal public reservation.
McClintock’s work occupied the same professional landscape as the early conservation movement advanced by Charles Eliot, whose call for “accurate record” of remaining natural landscapes aligned closely with the type of surveys McClintock produced. Although not formally associated with the Metropolitan Park Commission or the Olmsted firm, his Lynn Woods survey provided exactly the sort of technical base data used in early park planning and municipal preservation efforts. The map’s later revision by Charles A. Lawrence in 1910 demonstrates the enduring authority of McClintock’s original work and its importance in documenting the reservation before 20th-century improvements.
PUBLICATION DATE: 1892
GEOGRAPHIC AREA: United States
BODY OF WATER: Walden Pond, Glen Lewis Pond
CONDITION: Good.
Intact within neatlines. A bit of age toning in spots. Short margins in places. Archival repairs from the verso at fold separations and one small repaired tear at top.
COLORING: None.
ENGRAVER:
SIZE:
" x
"
ITEM PHYSICAL LOCATION:
PRICE: $1800
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