Lewis Ansbacher Map Collection

At his birthday party in 1989, Jacksonville lawyer Lewis Ansbacher was given an antiquarian map as a birthday present. Fascinated by his new gift, Lewis began collecting antiquarian maps, specifically of the United States and Florida. Upon his death in 2004, his family donated his collection to the Jacksonville library with the understanding that it would be displayed as a complete collection in the new main library being built at the time.

That collection, the Lewis Ansbacher Map Collection, is located on the fourth floor of the Jacksonville Main Library in downtown Jacksonville and is a collection of 240 maps dating back to the 16th century. The maps are displayed along the walls of the room and give the room a feeling of both worldliness and age that isn't commonly found in a city of only 200 years.