Intrepid Historical Services

Kevin B. Coleman

* Cartography *




map of greater Chillicothe in green ink showing historical places of interest Joy Gough's Chillicothe / Ross County "Treasures Map"

Joy Gough originally created this some three decades ago. In 2003 I completely redrew it digitally, scanning the various images and drawing the map on my computer. It has gone through several revisions and reprintings, the latest version 7 in October 2006.



Walke House National Register Nomination Research

Map of Walke House Historic Property Boundsmap with shapes of different colors overlaid on a topographic map

I created this to make clear the complicated series of property lines involved in my research of a very special historic house in Chillicothe. The Walke House was built probably 1812-1820 just beyond the western edge of the young town of Chillicothe, and remains now surrounded by later urban growth.

Each new property boundary is a different color, with its date and new owner labled. The bottom layer is a USGS 7.5' topo map of Chillicothe, stitched together from two quads. On top of that (visible on the right side) I overlaid a scan of an early map of Chillicothe. I had to rotate and resize both layers to get them to line up and be oriented with north as straight up.

The research illustrated two important aspects of early Chillicothe that are much different today: the old meander of the Scioto River through what is now Yoctangee Park, and the old route westward, a remnant now surviving as Allen Avenue.


map with lines overlaid with shapes showing streets, lots, and buildings 1893 Plat of Walke House Property

A plat map from the turn of the century showed the lots newly created around the house, and also all buildings on the property. I rotated and shrank it to create a map that illustrated the current layout of the property and environs.


Walke House Possible Design Sources map of parts of northern Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland, with images of three similar houses and text

The origin of the design and styling of the Walke House became a great mystery to me. After detailed investigation, I figured out who the first owner and probably builder was, and looked for similar houses near where he lived before moving to Ohio. This sheet illustrates the areas in northern Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland that are associated with the first owner, and two houses that may have served as inspiration for the building.



"McCafferty Run Farmstead" National Register Nomination

line map showing blue river and canal, grey roads, and other features

1828 Canal Survey Map

Part of my research into this farmstead involved an 1828 map that laid out the Ohio & Erie Canal. I stretched out a scan of the map to natural proportions and redrew it on my computer. This is the result.


line map showing intersecting and interwoven property lines with lettering indicating ownersProperty Lines Through Time

Other research led me 200 years into the past to figure out the historical property owners. I mapped them out, based on their descriptions, and untangled the evolution of the property. This has all property divisions, color coded and overlaid on the current property.


line map showing intersecting and interwoven property lines with lettering indicating owners Map of the Farmsteads

I used an aerial photo given to me on a CD by the county engineer to trace out the features of the farmstead. With some adjustment I used this as the property map for the final National Register nomination.



advertisements and maps with a row of photos at the bottom map of dowtown Chillicothe in grey and green ink showing eateries, parking areas, and historical buildings "Downtown Chillicothe" Map

I created this in 2003 because I felt a good map of just the downtown was needed - especially one that shows historical buildings, eateries, and surprisingly, all the available parking.

Front Back

map with red lines indicating roads, blue wavy lines rivers, and gree, yellow and purple, historic roads or routes "Bridging the Gap"

I created this in 1999 to illustrate the history surrounding a new road planned for Ross County, Ohio. The road would connect two sides of the Scioto Valley and run near the Ross County Fairgrounds. The Ross County Engineer displayed this in his tent at the fair that year.



map withlines marking trails and old roads overlain on a topographic map "Following the Marietta Road"

This 1998 map illustrates the route of Marietta Road and other associated trails and old roads in northeast Ross County, and adjacent parts of Pickaway, Vinton, and Hocking counties. I displayed it as part of the November 1998 South Central Ohio Preservation Society meeting that featured a field trip on Marietta Road.

I used a 100,000-scale USGS topographic map and traced out current roads that probably follow old routes, filling in the gaps.



Contact INTREPID HISTORICAL SERVICES for references, costs, variations and availability:

  • Phone: 740 / 775-4036
  • Email: IHS@horizonview.net
  • Postal: 500 Infirmary Lane, Chillicothe, Ohio 45601-9574
© INTREPID HISTORICAL SERVICES - Kevin B. Coleman
Chillicothe, Ohio, USA
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