Connecticut's Aerial Surveys
In 1934 Connecticut became the first state to complete a statewide aerial survey. The State Library has several aerial surveys of the entire state, along with some partial surveys, and has put the 1934, 1938 (partial survey), and 1965 (in process) surveys online.
Flight lines varied from east to west or from north to south in different years.
Photograph numbers were reused each year. For example, there are several photographs with the number 00120. The 1934 photograph shows part of North Stonington and the 1965 photograph shows part of Easton.
The latitude and longitude assigned to each photograph is approximate. No warranty is made as to the accuracy of the data.
The original photographic prints have been digitized as JPEG2000 files, providing detailed zoom and pan functions.
See the Research guide to Aerial Photographs at the Connecticut State Library for links to other online aerial surveys of Connecticut and for information on viewing aerial photographs in person.
Finding Photos
Connecticut is divided into 169 "towns", each of which may contain
incorporated cities or boroughs, as well as villages, post offices, and
railroad depots without a distinct government. See
Connecticut Towns and Counties to help identify town names.
Locate on a Town Map
- Select an Aerial survey Town Map:
- Click on a town.
- Scroll as needed to view the entire map.
- Click on the circle for the photo you want to see.
Note: There is no search function to find a specific street.
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Search by Town:
Use to retrieve all aerials photos, street maps, town maps, and the 1934 index sheets for all years of a given town.
Only town names may be searched.
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Locate on a Street Map:
Use the Street Map Locators to search by street name or geographic feature. Smaller streets are not always listed on the street maps, and streets may have been renamed. Search for a nearby street, if known.
To find a photo number by using a Street Map Locator:
- Select a Street Map Locator:
- Click on the square that corresponds to your
area of interest.
- Scroll as needed to view the entire map.
- Note the photograph number you want. The photograph numbers are on the center points of
the aerial photos. The numbers on the maps are not linked to the aerial photos at this time.
- Type the photograph number - in 5-digit format (eg.
00254) - into the "Search by Photo Number" box.
(Remember to type your photograph# as a 5-digit number - e.g., 08260)
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Locate on the 1934 Index Sheets:
The index sheets contain the 1934 Aerial survey photograph numbers inside blocks drawn on 1895 U.S. Geological Survey topographic maps.
To find a photo number using the Index Sheet Locator .
- Click on the square that corresponds to your
area of interest to open a topographic index sheet map.
- Scroll as needed to view the entire map.
- The Index Sheet contains photograph numbers of the 1934 aerial photos. (The numbers on the sheets are not linked to the actual photos.)
- Note the photograph number you want.
- Type the photograph number - in 5-digit format (eg.
00254) - into the "Search by Photo Number" box.
(Remember to type your photograph# as a 5-digit number - e.g., 08260)
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You'll need Adobe Acrobat Reader to use the Street Map Locator and the Index Sheet Locator maps (freely downloadable at
www.adobe.com)
Using Photos
Retrieving a Single Photo
From a 'Results' page, click on the thumbnail photo or Title to display the image.
Or
Type the 5 digit photo number (add leading zero(s) to 3 and 4-digit numbers) (Example: Photo number 287 becomes number 00287; number 3208 becomes number 03208) in the
"Search by Photo Number" box above. If more than one result appears, select the photo for the year you want. (Numbers were re-used in different year's surveys.)
Or
Choose "Advanced Search" from the menu bar. In the "All of the Words" box, type the year and the photograph number. In the "Select Specific Collections" box, first "Clear All", then select "Aerial Photographs".
Example: "1934 00120" (without quotes) finds Aerial Survey of Connecticut 1934 photograph 00120.
Once an image has been displayed,
- Click on the desired area of the main image to zoom in. The red
box on the navigational thumbnail at upper right shows the location and
extent of the viewed area on the photo. Clicking on any point in the viewing
image will enlarge and center on that point.
- The icons on the tool bar above the image allow zooming
(magnifying glass
) ;
panning (arrow points
) right,
left, up, or down; maximum zoom (sheet
icon 
) ;
rotate (direction arrows
) right or
left; and clip (pen point
)
a segment to save or print.
- See Help for more detail on use of CSL's Digital Collections.
More About Aerial Photographs
Locate specific photos on a