The Fabian O’Dea Map Collection on Display

Thursday, Aug. 15, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Map Room, second floor, Queen Elizabeth II Library

In 2005, the Centre for Newfoundland Studies received a donation of 99 maps and charts of early Newfoundland and Labrador. The donor, Dr. Fabian O’Dea, had passed away the previous year. He was a well know public figure, former naval officer, one-time French consul, businessman, barrister, former lieutenant-governor (1963-69), honorary colonel of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, art connoisseur, and scholar.

He started collecting maps of his home island of Newfoundland while serving in WWII. While on his leaves in Britain, he would visit shops and purchase maps and charts that caught his interest. Throughout his life, in between the many careers he had, he would find time to not only collect his treasures, but study them and he published a number of articles over the years dealing with cartographic and toponymic history, as well as give presentations.

During the Canadian Association of Geographers Conference being held at Memorial University in August 2024, a number of the O’Dea maps and charts will be on display in the Map Room in the QE II Library – Thursday and Friday, August 15-16 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Please drop in and enjoy these fascinating and wonderful documents on the early cartography of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Presented by Archives and Special Collections

Event Listing 2024-08-15 10:00:00 2024-08-15 16:00:00 America/St_Johns The Fabian O’Dea Map Collection on Display In 2005, the Centre for Newfoundland Studies received a donation of 99 maps and charts of early Newfoundland and Labrador. The donor, Dr. Fabian O’Dea, had passed away the previous year. He was a well know public figure, former naval officer, one-time French consul, businessman, barrister, former lieutenant-governor (1963-69), honorary colonel of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, art connoisseur, and scholar. He started collecting maps of his home island of Newfoundland while serving in WWII. While on his leaves in Britain, he would visit shops and purchase maps and charts that caught his interest. Throughout his life, in between the many careers he had, he would find time to not only collect his treasures, but study them and he published a number of articles over the years dealing with cartographic and toponymic history, as well as give presentations. During the Canadian Association of Geographers Conference being held at Memorial University in August 2024, a number of the O’Dea maps and charts will be on display in the Map Room in the QE II Library – Thursday and Friday, August 15-16 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Please drop in and enjoy these fascinating and wonderful documents on the early cartography of Newfoundland and Labrador. Map Room, second floor, Queen Elizabeth II Library Archives and Special Collections