Library of Congress

The truth that’s plane to see

TitleMap of the Square and Stationary Earth
CreatorOrlando Ferguson
Year1893
Dimensions57 × 82 cm
LocationLibrary of Congress Geography and Map Division
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Another attempt at illustrating how the world could potentially be flat is Orlando Feguson’s 1893 “Map of the Square and Stationary Earth. The long subtitle encapsulates most of the cartographer's proof and motivation, “four hundred passages in the Bible that condemn the Globe Theory, or the Flying Earth, and none sustain it; this map is the Bible map of the world."

Ferguson's approach to geography was a literal interpretation of the Bible, including the reference to angels visiting the four corners of the earth (hence the “square and stationary” title). He presented himself as holding the titles of “Doctor and “Professor,” though it's unlikely that either honorific was earned. After the publication of this map, Ferguson began lecturing and then wrote a 60-page pamphlet which included other theories such as the sun was 30 miles in diameter and 3,000 miles from earth. ()

Bibliography

Andrews 2011
Andrews, John, “Hot Springs’ Square Thinker,” South Dakota Magazine (13 July, 2011). https://www.southdakotamagazine.com/square-thinker