maps

vintage viginia map
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Notes on the State of Virginia: Journey to the Center of an American Document, Queries VII, VIII, and IX

ByKiki Petrosino

In these three queries, Jefferson attempts to distill the complex meteorological, demographic, and military features of Virginia into a series of data points. His prose—supplemented by graphical tables tracking everything from rainfall to carriage wheels—draws a fine grid over the natural and human activities of the Commonwealth.

map of Virginia.
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Notes on the State of Virginia: Journey to the Center of an American Document, Query VI

ByKiki Petrosino

This is the fourth installment of a year-long journey through Thomas Jefferson’s Notes on the State of Virginia. You can read previous installments here, here and here. ** Query VI: “Productions mineral, vegetable and animal” A notice of the mines and other subterraneous riches; its trees, plants, fruits, &c. At root, Jefferson’s Notes on the…

A sketch of Thomas Jefferson.
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Notes on the State of Virginia: Journey to the Center of an American Document, Queries IV and V

ByKiki Petrosino

This is the third installment of a year-long journey through Thomas Jefferson’s Notes on the State of Virginia. You can read previous installments here and here. ** Query IV: A notice of its mountains Query V: Its cascades and caverns I walked into Queries IV and V thinking Jefferson would use these sections to acknowledge…

Join or Die Benjamin Franklin
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NOTES ON THE STATE OF VIRGINIA: Journey to the Center of an American Document, Queries II and III

ByKiki Petrosino

This is the second installment of a year-long journey through Thomas Jefferson’s Notes on the State of Virginia. Here’s the first installment. ** Query II: A notice of its rivers, rivulets, and how far they are navigable Query III: A notice of the best Seaports of the State, and how big are the vessels they…

vintage viginia map
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NOTES ON THE STATE OF VIRGINIA: Journey to the Center of an American Document

ByKiki Petrosino

This is the start of a monthly journey through Thomas Jefferson’s Notes on the State of Virginia. I’ve loved this book for many years. It’s scholarly and luminous, unfolding a rich lexicon. Open its pages and whole rivers, chunks of amethyst, living birds, and secret mammoth skeletons tumble forth. This is the realm where Jefferson…