A previously undocumented, well-worn, and faded, but intriguingly attractive manuscript map sold at Swann Auction Galleries in New York in 2006 (Fig. 1). “A New and Correct MAP of the Province of North Carolina drawn from the Original of Col. Mosely’s [sic] Survey by J. Cowley, London 1737” had no history or provenance associated with it at the time of the sale (Fig. 2).[1] Drawn with pen and ink on laid paper, the manuscript map was hand-colored, mounted on linen, and measured approximately 28” by 22.5”. Adhered to the back of the map was a label with the notation, “2S / Map of North Carolina pCol Mosley [sic].” (Fig. 3). The paper was embossed with one of the same watermarks as paper used by Mark Catesby for his highly regarded Natural History of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands issued between 1733 and 1745.[2] The map appeared to have been … Continue reading A New and Correct Map of the Province of North Carolina: The Discovery of a 1737 North Carolina Manuscript Map