Rediscovering Georgia’s Historic Landscape
Jonathan Parker’s Art of Cartography
Winter 2025
Story & Photography by John Casey
Art by Jonathan Parker
In a digital age where mapping can be done at the click of a button, Jonathan Parker, owner of Newnan, Georgia-based The Good Forty, Inc., offers something different: maps that not only capture the land’s dimensions but its story. With his handcrafted approach, Parker merges technology with tradition, blending historical research, artistry and fieldwork to create custom maps that pay homage to Georgia’s landscape and history.
Parker’s journey into custom cartography began with a conversation with his son, Grayson Parker, a forestry graduate from the University of Georgia.When his son mentioned that cartography was no longer part of the curriculum, Parker was taken aback. “It’s all digital now,” said Grayson. This revelation inspired Parker to pursue a form of cartography that reaches beyond satellite images. His maps have an artful, elegant and even romantic quality, designed to reflect the legacy of the land. Each map is enhanced with hand-drawn flourishes — native flora and fauna along the margins, a compass rose, and historic elements that blend aesthetics with utility.
Parker’s fascination soon turned into a mission as he uncovered layers of history beneath Georgia’s soil.
“I kept finding Indian trails on the original 1827 District Surveys — trails like McIntosh, Five Notch and Grierson,” said Parker. These trails, etched into the landscape long before European settlers arrived, revealed a deep history. “They are like historical strings traversing Georgia and the Southeast,” he said, describing them as pathways used by Native Americans and British traders alike.
Mapping Interactions Between Early Settlers, Tribes
This historical depth became central to Parker’s cartographic work. He began at a quiet crossing over the Flint River, marked by a weathered sign titled “Noted Indian Trail.” Delving into British records, Parker uncovered stories of 17th-century traders financed by Charlestown merchants, who mapped the Southeastern trade routes that would transform colonial America. These traders fostered alliances with Native American tribes, establishing an economic and diplomatic buffer against French and Spanish interests. “Most people don’t realize it, but by 1700, British traders were moving south of the Appalachians, fostering an allegiance based on trade with Southeastern tribes,” said Parker. His maps tell the stories of those early interactions, like the deerskin trade rekindled in the 1730s when Oglethorpe’s colony established Augusta as a frontier trading post.
Parker’s journey into custom cartography began with a conversation with his son, Grayson Parker, a forestry graduate from the University of Georgia.When his son mentioned that cartography was no longer part of the curriculum, Parker was taken aback. “It’s all digital now,” said Grayson. This revelation inspired Parker to pursue a form of cartography that reaches beyond satellite images. His maps have an artful, elegant and even romantic quality, designed to reflect the legacy of the land. Each map is enhanced with hand-drawn flourishes — native flora and fauna along the margins, a compass rose, and historic elements that blend aesthetics with utility.
Parker’s fascination soon turned into a mission as he uncovered layers of history beneath Georgia’s soil.
“I kept finding Indian trails on the original 1827 District Surveys — trails like McIntosh, Five Notch and Grierson,” said Parker. These trails, etched into the landscape long before European settlers arrived, revealed a deep history. “They are like historical strings traversing Georgia and the Southeast,” he said, describing them as pathways used by Native Americans and British traders alike.
Mapping Interactions Between Early Settlers, Tribes
This historical depth became central to Parker’s cartographic work. He began at a quiet crossing over the Flint River, marked by a weathered sign titled “Noted Indian Trail.” Delving into British records, Parker uncovered stories of 17th-century traders financed by Charlestown merchants, who mapped the Southeastern trade routes that would transform colonial America. These traders fostered alliances with Native American tribes, establishing an economic and diplomatic buffer against French and Spanish interests. “Most people don’t realize it, but by 1700, British traders were moving south of the Appalachians, fostering an allegiance based on trade with Southeastern tribes,” said Parker. His maps tell the stories of those early interactions, like the deerskin trade rekindled in the 1730s when Oglethorpe’s colony established Augusta as a frontier trading post.
“Annual horse trains would carry goods into the Nation and return loaded with deer hides for England’s leather industry,” said Parker.
His research reveals a connection between these early traders and the leaders who later shaped the American-Indian confrontations, children and grandchildren of Scottish traders and SoutheasternNative Americans whose unions wove both cultures together.
The Revolutionary War would later disrupt this fragile peace, but Parker’s work preserves these pathways. Using original 1827 Land Lot maps, he identifies the location of ancient trade routes, connecting them to present-day landmarks.
“All our county seats around here are on these old paths,” he noted. “I felt someone should at least accurately map them for educational and preservation purposes.
”In addition to traditional cartography techniques, Parker’s process is equally intentional about materials. He works with authentic watercolors — those John Audubon might have used — and paper sourced from a French mill dating back to the 1400s. The resulting maps are as much fine art as historical documentation. His work, found at institutions like the Georgia State Capitol and the Muscogee Cultural Center, embodies a unique bridge between Georgia’s rich past and its present.
For Parker, these maps are investments in Georgia’s history, an endeavor to preserve the cultural landscape of a land that has witnessed centuries of human stories. His art does more than outline property; it honors a legacy that runs as deep as Georgia’s ancient trails.■
John Casey is a strategic communications professional who supports clients through the art of storytelling. In his downtime, John can be found hunting and fishing on his family’s centennial farm in Northwest Georgia.
His research reveals a connection between these early traders and the leaders who later shaped the American-Indian confrontations, children and grandchildren of Scottish traders and SoutheasternNative Americans whose unions wove both cultures together.
The Revolutionary War would later disrupt this fragile peace, but Parker’s work preserves these pathways. Using original 1827 Land Lot maps, he identifies the location of ancient trade routes, connecting them to present-day landmarks.
“All our county seats around here are on these old paths,” he noted. “I felt someone should at least accurately map them for educational and preservation purposes.
”In addition to traditional cartography techniques, Parker’s process is equally intentional about materials. He works with authentic watercolors — those John Audubon might have used — and paper sourced from a French mill dating back to the 1400s. The resulting maps are as much fine art as historical documentation. His work, found at institutions like the Georgia State Capitol and the Muscogee Cultural Center, embodies a unique bridge between Georgia’s rich past and its present.
For Parker, these maps are investments in Georgia’s history, an endeavor to preserve the cultural landscape of a land that has witnessed centuries of human stories. His art does more than outline property; it honors a legacy that runs as deep as Georgia’s ancient trails.■
John Casey is a strategic communications professional who supports clients through the art of storytelling. In his downtime, John can be found hunting and fishing on his family’s centennial farm in Northwest Georgia.
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Georgia Forestry Magazine is published by HL Strategy, an integrated marketing and communications firm focused on our nation's biggest challenges and opportunities. Learn more at hlstrategy.com
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