AUSTIN — Today, Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, M.D. is thrilled to announce the donation of eight maps to the Texas General Land Office (GLO) Archives and Records Program, which houses 36 million documents and over 45,000 maps and sketches that detail the history of the state’s public lands and is one of the premier cartographic resources for Texas.

"The GLO is thrilled to accept these eight unique maps from Mr. Chase Untermeyer. This donation is a great example of how Texans can help support our Save Texas History efforts," said Commissioner Buckingham. "The preservation and promotion of historic maps aids in educating Texans about our heritage and roots. Mr. Untermeyer's generosity will ensure our agency continues to tell the rich history of Texas for generations to come."

Untermeyer, a former state representative from Houston and Ambassador to Qatar, has long had a fondness for history and said donating the maps to the GLO is important and hopes others will preserve the rich history of Texas and follow his lead in helping preserve what started long before us.

"Anyone with a collection of documents who no longer wishes to maintain them, consider donating them to a library, university, or state agency that will accept them permanently, digitize them, or copy them," Untermeyer explained. "At the least, include names and dates on the reverse of photographs so anyone who finds them later would have that context and information."

Untermeyer's donated maps have been digitized and can be viewed online. Reproductions are available for $20. All proceeds benefit the Save Texas History Program.

Maps donated below:

• Texas, [1851 ca.] (GLO Map #97275) 

• Mexico and Guatimala [sic], [1828] (GLO Map #97276) 

• Le Nouveau Mexique avec la partie Septentrionale de l’Ancien ou de la Nouvelle Espagne, n.d. (GLO Map #97277) 

• Carte de la Louisiane et Pays Voisins pour servir à l’Histoire Générale des Voyages, 1757 (GLO Map #97278) 

• Mexico, [1840 ca.] (GLO Map #97279) 

• Map of Texas from the most recent authorities, 1845 (GLO Map #97280) 

• Galveston Harbor, Texas, 1882 (GLO Map #97281) 

• Gray’s New Map of Texas and the Indian Territory, 1876 (GLO Map #97282) 

If you have a map or a collection that you think fits within the collecting scope of the GLO Archives, we encourage you to donate it to the agency. Donated material will be preserved, digitized, and made available for future generations of Texans to appreciate.

Created in 2004, the Save Texas History program is a statewide initiative to rally public support and private funding for the preservation and promotion of the historic maps and documents housed in the GLO Archives.

To learn more about Save Texas History, click the button below.

Save Texas History Program