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At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Pettit, Charles, 1736-1806 to Henry Knox

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02437.03663 Author/Creator: Pettit, Charles, 1736-1806 Place Written: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 14 September 1787 Pagination: 1 p. : address : docket Height: 23.1 cm, Width: 19.2 cm Order a Copy

Recommends Major Reading Howell, the bearer of this letter, who is collecting materials in order to create an accurate map of Pennsylvania. Writes, "It has been suggested that some surveys taken for the use of the Army during the War, & now supposed to be lodged in the War Office, may be particularly useful on this occasion." Asks for Knox to give Howell access to the War Office surveys and maps. See GLC02437.03665 for related document.

Knox, Henry, 1750-1806
Pettit, Charles, 1736-1806
Howell, Reading, 1743-1827

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