Published in 1910 by the United States Geological Survey, “Antietam” presents a finely observed topographical portrait of the country where Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia meet. At a scale of 1:62,500, the map centers on the storied landscape around Harpers Ferry, Sharpsburg, Shepherdstown, and Antietam Creek, rendering a region whose geography is inseparable from American history. The confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers is especially prominent, with Harpers Ferry occupying its dramatic natural amphitheater between steep ridges and river corridors. Created during an era when USGS mapping combined scientific precision with national ambition, this sheet captures the terrain as it stood in the early twentieth century, before later roads, suburban expansion, and modern development altered the visual and cultural landscape.

The cartography is characteristically elegant and exacting, using contour lines, subtle color, and relief shading to translate a complex Appalachian terrain into a legible and compelling visual record. The ridges of Maryland Heights, South Mountain, Catoctin Mountain, and the gaps that cut through them are carefully modeled, revealing the strategic importance of elevation in this part of the country. Sandy Hook Gap and Fox Gap, for example, appear not merely as geographic features but as gateways through a rugged landscape. The USGS style lends the map a scientific authority while preserving an almost painterly rhythm: streams thread through valleys, roads trace the contours of settlement, and the land itself seems to rise and fall across the sheet.

Few American landscapes carry the historical resonance of the Antietam and Harpers Ferry region. Sharpsburg and Antietam Creek recall the Battle of Antietam in 1862, the bloodiest single day of the Civil War, while Harpers Ferry evokes John Brown’s raid, wartime occupation, and the broader struggle over slavery and union. The topography shown here helps explain why these places mattered militarily: river crossings, mountain passes, and commanding heights shaped movement, defense, and conflict. Maryland Heights overlooking Harpers Ferry, the approaches along the Potomac, and the open ground around Sharpsburg all emerge with clarity. This map therefore offers not only a view of place, but a geographic key to pivotal events in the American past.

The towns and settlements scattered across the map reveal a lived-in landscape of farms, river communities, crossroads, and county seats. Shepherdstown appears along the Potomac, close to the historic river crossings that tied Maryland and present-day West Virginia together. Bolivar, Sandy Hook, Dargan, Keedysville, Wellsburg, and other smaller communities are placed within a network of roads and waterways that shaped commerce and daily travel. Jefferson County and Loudoun County anchor the southern and eastern portions of the sheet, while Hagerstown and the surrounding agricultural country suggest the wider regional economy. The result is a snapshot of early twentieth-century land use, where settlement remained closely bound to streams, valleys, fertile lowlands, and the practical routes permitted by the terrain.

As a USGS topographical map, “Antietam” reflects a moment when federal mapping was becoming indispensable to geology, engineering, conservation, transportation, and civic planning. Yet its appeal reaches beyond utility. The sheet distills the layered character of the Middle Atlantic borderlands: ancient mountains, Civil War memory, riverine movement, and rural settlement all held together in one disciplined composition. The presence of places now associated with preservation and recreation, including the South Mountain area and Gathland State Park, adds another dimension, suggesting how landscapes of conflict and passage became landscapes of remembrance. Rich in both geographical detail and historical atmosphere, this map is a sophisticated record of a region where natural form and national history are profoundly intertwined.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Harpers Ferry
• Shepherdstown
• Sharpsburg
• Antietam Creek
• Potomac River
• Shenandoah River
• Jefferson County
• Loudoun County
• Wellsburg
• Sandy Hook
• Maryland Heights
• Bolivar
• Dargan
• Keedysville
• South Mountain
• Gathland State Park
• Catoctin Mountain
• Hagerstown
• Fox Gap
• Sandy Hook Gap

Historical context & cartographic details

• Historical 1:62,500 topographical map titled Antietam, showing Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, and the surrounding region.
• Created in 1910 by the US Geological Survey (USGS).
• Features Harpers Ferry, historically significant for its Civil War associations and its position at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers.
• Uses a detailed color scheme, contour lines, and shading to represent elevation, relief, and terrain features.
• Shows the hilly terrain around Harpers Ferry and the broader physical landscape of the region.
• Reflects historical land use, development patterns, and the natural landscape prior to modern urbanization.
• Demonstrates the detailed topographic style characteristic of USGS cartography.

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.