Naval Cartography at the Brooklyn Navy Yard

Continuing the fall discussion series, “Wayfinding for the Wayfarer and the Landlubber,” this second talk investigates the significant role cartography – the science of drawing maps – has had in shaping world views, power, and politics. Led by Andrew Gustafson of Turnstile Tours, the discussion focuses on developments in navigation and cartography at the Brooklyn Navy Yard during the 19th and 20th centuries, with a focus on the Yard’s role in scientific expeditions, intellectual debates, coastal surveys, and the advancement of technology.

Andrew Gustafson is a manager, researcher, and tour guide at Turnstile, a social enterprise that develops and operates tours and public programs in partnership with non-profit organizations. Andrew has worked at the Brooklyn Navy Yard since 2009, guiding tours and developing tour programs focusing on history, architecture, and manufacturing. Andrew studied geography and history as an undergraduate at Middlebury College, where he also studied cartography, GIS, and graphic design. He also attended the University of Colorado-Boulder graduate school, where he studied political geography with a focus on the former Soviet Union.

About the series: “Wayfinding for the Wayfarer and Landlubber” explores the history of navigation over three talks: the first two talks focus on navigation in the past, while the third looks at ways we will navigate in the future. Each talk offers a unique perspective on navigation while also giving visitors the opportunity to learn how art, science, technology, and creativity have all affected, and continue to affect, how we move through the world.

Image: USS Brooklyn, Launching Day. National Archives and Records Administration - Northeast Region, Courtesy of the BNYDC Archives, Brooklyn, NY