An exceptional example of the 1853 Land Survey Map of Florida.  This map represents the state of the Land Survey in Florida as of  September 30, 1853.  Shows the state divided into several hundred numbered plats, some of which are marked with an “S” to state that they had been fully surveyed, and some with a “T” suggesting that they had only been surveyed externally.  Labels several important Seminole War Forts including Fort Bassinger, Fort Center, Fort Thompson, Fort Beynaud, Fort Adams, and others.  Notes the Everglades, Big Cypress, Fort Lauderdale, Lake Okeechobee, and many of Florida’s lakes and river systems.  Also shows both the Arrendondo Grant and Forbes Purchase.  Arredondo Grant is a layover of the Spanish Land Grant program, which bequeathed it to a powerful Spanish merchant - Arrendondo. With incredible difficulty and protest, the land grants were dissolved when Florida became part of the United States. Forbes Purchase refers to a large tract of land in the Florida Panhandle that was purchased from Spain by three American traders in the late 18th century. After Florida became part of the United States there was an attempt by the government to seize this land, but it was shot down by the United States Supreme Court. Unfortunately, as Forbes Purchase was mostly uninhabitable swampland, it was impossible to develop and later sold off in lots.  The map is dated to 1853 and attributed John Wescott, Surveyor General.   Wescott (here misprinted as Wescoll) took the office of Florida Surveyor General in 1853.  He is known to have issued two map of Florida to accompany his annual reports - this is the first.  The second, in 1854, represents a major update and add an inset of the Florida Keys.
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1853 (dated)
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