{"product_id":"old-map-of-guilford-connecticut-by-usgs-1954-long-island-sound-hammonasset-state-park","title":"Old Map of Guilford, Connecticut by USGS, 1954 – Long Island Sound \u0026 Hammonasset State Park","description":"\u003cp\u003ePublished in 1959 from 1954 survey work, the US Geological Survey’s “Guilford” presents a finely observed mid-century portrait of Connecticut’s south-central shoreline. At 1:24,000 scale, it captures the town of Guilford and its surroundings with the precision and restraint for which USGS topographic mapping is celebrated. Founded in 1639, Guilford appears here as both a historic colonial settlement and a living coastal community, set between inland ridges, wooded hollows, tidal waters, and the broad presence of Long Island Sound. The map preserves a moment when older roads, rail lines, harbors, and expanding postwar infrastructure coexisted, offering a richly layered view of landscape, settlement, and movement along one of New England’s most storied shores.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe cartography is classic USGS: clean, exacting, and quietly beautiful. Contour lines articulate the rise and fall of the terrain, revealing the subtle drama of southern New England’s hills, valleys, and rocky uplands. Forested areas appear in vivid green, lending visual depth to the inland tracts, while water bodies and coastal margins are rendered with crisp clarity. Guilford Harbor, the East River, ponds, marshes, and the intricate edge of Long Island Sound all emerge as defining features of the sheet. This topographical language transforms the landscape into an intelligible pattern of elevation, drainage, roadways, and habitation, making the map as useful historically as it is visually compelling.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGuilford itself is the historical anchor of the map, a town renowned for its colonial architecture, village green, and deep roots in seventeenth-century New England settlement. The surrounding roads and neighborhoods evoke a community in transition, still shaped by farms, woodland, and tidal waterways, yet increasingly connected to regional movement through Route 1, railroads, and the developing highway corridor of Interstate 95. Leete’s Island and Guilford Harbor speak to the town’s maritime identity, while the inland road network suggests the dispersed pattern of older New England habitation. Seen through this map, Guilford is not merely a point on the Connecticut coast, but a carefully mapped intersection of history, geography, and mid-century change.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBeyond the town center, the sheet opens onto a varied natural landscape. Long Island Sound defines the southern edge, its sheltered waters shaping settlement, commerce, and recreation along the coast. Inland, rivers and streams—including the East River and the Menunketesuck River area—thread through lowlands and wooded terrain, their courses made legible by the contours and drainage symbols. Nearby preserved landscapes such as Hammonasset State Park and Chatfield Hollow State Park place the map within a wider regional setting of beaches, wetlands, rocky woods, and glacially influenced terrain. The result is a portrait of Connecticut that balances coastal openness with dense interior texture: harbors, hollows, ridges, ponds, and forests all held in precise cartographic relation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe United States Geological Survey, established in 1879, brought scientific rigor and national ambition to the mapping of America’s landscapes, geology, and natural resources. This “Guilford” quadrangle reflects that tradition at a particularly revealing historical moment. Its mid-twentieth-century details record land use, transportation, settlement patterns, and natural features before later decades of suburban growth and environmental change further reshaped the Connecticut shoreline. For collectors drawn to New England, coastal history, or the visual elegance of topographic mapping, the map offers more than geographic information: it is a disciplined, quietly evocative document of place. Every contour, road, shoreline, and green woodland tract contributes to a richly textured record of Guilford and its surrounding country in the 1950s.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eCities, towns and places on this map\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGuilford\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLong Island Sound\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEast River\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHammonasset State Park\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eChatfield Hollow State Park\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLeete's Island\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMenunketesuck River\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGuilford Harbor\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eConnecticut Route 1\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eInterstate 95\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eVarious lakes and ponds\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eForested areas\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRailroads\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSeveral roads, including unnamed local roads\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOther residential neighborhoods and smaller communities in the vicinity\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eHistorical context \u0026amp; cartographic details\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eProduced by the United States Geological Survey as a historical 1:24,000 topographical map.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDated 1954 and published with a 1959 imprint.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe USGS was established in 1879 and played a key role in mapping the geology, landscape, and natural resources of the United States.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGuilford is known for its historic district and colonial architecture, having been founded in 1639.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFeatures contour lines to show elevation changes across the landscape.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUses vibrant green for forested areas and lighter colors for water bodies, improving visual clarity.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIllustrates New England terrain with hills, valleys, and waterways.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eReflects mid-20th-century land use and geographical features, making it a valuable historical document.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLooking for a particular place?\u003c\/strong\u003e Review the detailed images to confirm that the town, landmark or feature you have in mind appears on the map. If you are unsure, \u003ca target=\"”_blank”\" href=\"\/de\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003eask our workshop to check before you order\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDetailed 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 50in (125cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please \u003ca href=\"\/de\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003eget in touch\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe model in the listing images is holding the 18x24in (45x60cm) version of this map.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhere personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. \u003ca target=\"”_blank”\" href=\"\/de\/pages\/map-personalisation\"\u003eSee personalised map examples\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEvery 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith 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 \u003ca target=\"”_blank”\" href=\"\/de\/collections\/all-old-vintage-antique-maps\"\u003erare old and vintage maps\u003c\/a\u003e to discover another place, period or style.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Unique Maps Co.","offers":[{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Map","offer_id":58802399150464,"sku":null,"price":75.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":58802399183232,"sku":null,"price":202.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed canvas map","offer_id":58802399216000,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Map","offer_id":58802399248768,"sku":null,"price":75.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":58802399281536,"sku":null,"price":202.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed canvas 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