Mount Washington Map Collection Changes Lives

Mount Washington's John Feathers loved maps.

The massive collection found at his Canyon Vista Drive home following his death from AIDS in October contained maps of every imaginable location, from eras dating all the way back to the 16th Century.

"He would wake up at 3 a.m. every morning and go shopping," said John Creason of the Los Angeles Central Library. "This guy ate, slept and dreamed maps."

[Listen to Creason's interview with American Public Media's The Story here.]

Now, Feathers' lifelong obsession is having a ripple effect months after his death, the Los Angeles Times reports.

According to the Times, the collection has already proved a valuable resouce to the Creason, who has been able to answer queries from the public using Feathers' maps.

The attention drawn to Feathers' home, which was slated for demolition, has also had a major impact on his Canyon Vista Drive Neighborhood.

From the Times:

The maps' discovery changed the fate of his listing, too. Greenberg had expected to have the lot subdivided for new homes. But the flurry of October map-packing attracted the attention of Mount Washington residents, among them Maureen Burke, who walked over with a neighbor to see what was going on.

[...]

Escrow closed earlier this month; and Burke, an advertising makeup artist, plans to move in when renovations are completed in early spring.

The Times reports that the discovery of the collection and the subsequent media coverage has changed how 82-year-old John Elmer Feathers, an 82-year-old Air Force Veteran, thinks of his son.

Father and son drifted apart after the younger Feathers became sick, the Times reports.

[Click here to read the full story in the Times.]