The Place Name Search allows you to search by place name.
1. First select a state (MA, NH, CT, or RI), and then select a place name (City, County, or Site) from the drop-down menus.
Keep in mind there may be irregularities with the Place Name Search. For example, the North End (which is a specific Boston region) shows up as an entry in this pull-down list, but none of the maps attached to the North End entry has a relationship to Boston’s North End. The maps document a section of Springfield, MA and Salem, MA. However, if you search Boston, you will find at least 8 maps that include Boston’s North End. When using Place Name Search one search alone from the pull-down menu will not necessarily find everything you hope to use for your research.
2. Once a place name has been selected, all matching publications containing maps of that area will display below.
3. Select the publication name link to see all pages from that publication. You will be taken to a viewer displaying that publication and its pages. You will need to then look through the pages of the publication to find the section on the map you need. The Research Tools (which are discussed in-depth in this guide under the topic of Research Tools) can help to identify the area or building you are looking for amongst the pages you have retrieved in your search.
