Titled simply “Keene,” this U.S. Geological Survey topographical map was compiled from 1998 mapping and issued with a 2002 imprint, preserving a precise late-twentieth-century portrait of one of southwestern New Hampshire’s principal cities. At the classic 1:24,000 scale, it presents Keene not as an isolated urban center but as part of a wider landscape of river corridors, hills, reservoirs, roads, railways, neighborhoods, and open spaces. The map captures the city at a moment when its historic New England street pattern, civic core, and expanding suburban edges coexisted with surrounding rural terrain. For collectors, it offers the appealing clarity of modern scientific cartography while documenting a landscape already beginning to shift with new patterns of development.

The U.S. Geological Survey, long regarded as the authoritative American maker of topographic maps, brought to this sheet the agency’s disciplined visual language: crisp contour lines, carefully classified roads, hydrographic features, boundaries, railways, and place names arranged with functional elegance. USGS quadrangles were created not merely for travelers, but for engineers, planners, scientists, land managers, hikers, and anyone needing a rigorously measured understanding of terrain. In “Keene,” that tradition is immediately visible. Elevation is not suggested pictorially but measured through contours, allowing the eye to read the rise and fall of hills, the form of valleys, and the relationship between settlement and landform with unusual precision.

At the heart of the map lies Keene itself, a city whose development has long been shaped by its position in the Ashuelot River valley. The Ashuelot River and associated waterways thread through the mapped area, giving structure to both natural drainage and human settlement. Around the urban grid appear neighborhoods, roads, and rail lines that speak to Keene’s role as a regional hub for commerce, education, and transport. The map’s depiction of major highways, local streets, and railway corridors reveals how movement across this corner of New Hampshire was organized at the close of the twentieth century, connecting the city to surrounding towns, rural districts, and the broader Monadnock region.

The surrounding landscape is rendered with the quiet drama characteristic of USGS topography. Closely spaced contours disclose steeper slopes, while wider intervals mark gentler ground, producing an analytical yet beautiful portrait of hills, valleys, and upland terrain. Small lakes, reservoirs, streams, and wetlands punctuate the sheet, offering insight into the hydrological fabric that supports the area’s woods, neighborhoods, and open lands. Designated parks and recreational spaces appear alongside more intensively developed zones, showing how civic life, leisure, and conservation interlock around Keene. Town boundaries further organize the composition, reminding the viewer that this is both a physical landscape and a jurisdictional one, divided by lines of administration as well as ridges and rivers.

As a historical document, “Keene” is especially compelling because of its recency: it records a recognizable yet already historical version of the city and its environs as they stood in 1998. Later changes in land use, road construction, conservation, residential growth, or commercial development can be measured against the careful baseline preserved here. Unlike more decorative antique maps, this sheet derives its distinction from accuracy, restraint, and density of information. It invites close reading: a collector can trace a river bend, follow a rail line, study the outskirts of the city, or compare neighborhood form with the contours beneath it. In doing so, the map transforms everyday geography into a finely observed record of place.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Keene, NH
• Ashuelot River
• Various lakes, including unnamed small bodies of water
• Reservoirs indicated on the map
• Town boundaries in urban and rural areas
• Roads and railways, including major highways
• Parks and recreational areas
• Nearby hills and elevations
• Various neighborhoods within Keene
• Mountains and valleys shown by contour lines

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the U.S. Geological Survey as a 1:24,000 topographical map.
• Dated 1998 and published with a 2002 imprint.
• Focuses on Keene, New Hampshire, and the surrounding area.
• Shows the urban layout of Keene alongside surrounding landscapes.
• Features distinct contour lines to illustrate elevation changes and terrain variation.
• Rendered in the printed style typical of USGS topographic maps.
• Provides a detailed representation of landforms, including hills and valleys.
• Reflects the development of Keene and its surrounding area as of 1998.
• Offers a useful historical record for comparing later changes in land use, urban development, and landscape alteration.

Looking for a particular place? Review the detailed images to confirm that the town, landmark or feature you have in mind appears on the map. If you are unsure, ask our workshop to check before you order.

Detailed maps are especially rewarding at larger sizes, where names, boundaries and decorative features have more room to be appreciated. Use the close-up preview and size guide to choose the right scale for your wall.

This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 50in (125cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.

The model in the listing images is holding the 16x20in (40x50cm) version of this map.

Where personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. See personalised map examples.

Every piece is printed to museum-grade archival standards using fade-resistant pigment inks on acid-free matte paper. Choose an unframed map print, framed map or canvas using the finish options above. Framed maps use crystal-clear optical acrylic and arrive ready to hang.

With its rich detail and strong sense of place, this map makes a considered gift for a new home, anniversary, retirement or anyone with a personal connection to the area shown. Still deciding? Explore our collection of rare old and vintage maps to discover another place, period or style.

This map is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The map is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present a map without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas maps and explore the differences between my different finishes.

For something truly unique, this map is also available in "Unique 3D", our trademarked process that dramatically transforms the map so that it has a wonderful sense of depth. We combine the original map with detailed topography and elevation data, so that mountains and the terrain really "pop". For more info and examples of 3D maps, check my Unique 3D page.