Historic Coast & Geodetic Survey

The Historic Coast and Geodetic Survey Collection is composed of images covering many aspects of Coast and Geodetic Survey operations including geodesy, nautical and aeronautical charting, geophysics, oceanography, and the military aspects of these disciplines. These images document the geodetic surveying of the United States and its territories, the nautical charting work associated with producing charts for the marine waterways of the United States and its territories, and the development of early geophysics and oceanography.

The Historic Coast and Geodetic Survey Collection chronicles this rich heritage. The albums will take you on a trip through time and throughout our United States with these men who surveyed the land and the marine waterways of America, helped form the present scientific infrastructure of the United States, and whose indomitable spirit and perseverance is captured in these many remarkable images.