This thesis draws a connection between the intentions of both historic and present-day mapmakers to illustrate how maps are used to interpret the landscape for promotional purposes. A study of the cultural significance of historic landscapes, along with a comparison of spatial histories that use maps as a means of storytelling, will result in the development of a spatial history of the study area, McIntosh County, on the coast of Georgia. The importance of this study is to illustrate the value in storytelling through maps and their potential for use in promoting economic development through heritage tourism.