Titled “Beach Haven,” this United States Geological Survey topographical map presents the southern reaches of Long Beach Island and the adjacent New Jersey coast with the disciplined elegance characteristic of mid-century federal cartography. Dated 1951 and carrying a 1984 imprint, it preserves a valuable geographic portrait of a barrier-island landscape whose shorelines, settlements, and waterways have long been shaped by the Atlantic Ocean. At 1:24,000 scale, the map offers an intimate view of Beach Haven and its surroundings, balancing scientific precision with visual clarity. Its colored symbology, contour lines, and carefully delineated hydrography reveal a coastal world of beaches, inlets, marshes, channels, and low-lying terrain, all rendered for practical use yet rich in historical atmosphere.

The mapmaker, the United States Geological Survey, was by this period firmly established as one of the world’s great cartographic institutions. Founded in 1879, the USGS brought systematic measurement, geological investigation, and standardized mapping to the American landscape, creating maps that became indispensable to engineers, planners, scientists, mariners, and travelers. This “Beach Haven” sheet reflects that institutional rigor: roads, place names, shoreline forms, and subtle changes in elevation are organized into a lucid visual language. The result is not merely a geographic record, but a carefully constructed scientific document. In coastal New Jersey, where inches of elevation and small shifts in watercourses matter profoundly, the USGS topographic style captures the fine details that define life along a barrier island.

Beach Haven itself appears as the principal populated place, a resort community with a long association with summer travel, maritime commerce, and the distinctive culture of the Jersey Shore. Nearby Long Beach stretches northward along the narrow island, emphasizing the fragile geometry of this coastal environment: ocean to the east, bay and tidal waters to the west. Barnegat Light, farther north, evokes the larger navigational history of the region, where lighthouses, inlets, and shoals guided generations of vessels along a challenging Atlantic coastline. Little Egg Harbor and the surrounding marine features add further depth, situating Beach Haven within a network of bays, channels, and protected waters that shaped settlement, recreation, fishing, and transportation.

The topographic character of the map is especially compelling because the landscape is so low, open, and vulnerable to natural forces. Rather than dramatic mountains or deep valleys, the contours here describe delicate coastal elevation changes—subtle rises, sandy margins, and the slight relief that distinguishes habitable ground from marsh or tidal flat. Water bodies are given equal prominence, underscoring the importance of the Atlantic Ocean, back bays, and navigable channels in defining the region. The USGS use of color separates land, water, roads, and built features with admirable restraint, producing a map that is both technically readable and visually refined. Its quiet precision reveals the understated complexity of a barrier-coast environment.

As a historical document, “Beach Haven” offers a window into the New Jersey shore before many later decades of expansion, environmental management, and coastal engineering transformed the region. The 1951 geographic data capture a moment when postwar America was entering an era of accelerated leisure travel and shoreline development, yet the map still records the enduring natural framework of island, inlet, bay, and ocean. For historians of coastal change, it provides evidence of settlement patterns, transportation corridors, and shoreline configuration at mid-century. For admirers of old maps, it distills the appeal of USGS cartography: exacting, understated, and deeply evocative, turning a familiar seaside landscape into a measured portrait of place and time.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Beach Haven
• Long Beach
• Little Egg Harbor
• Barnegat Light
• Atlantic Ocean
• Surrounding waterways and marine features

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the United States Geological Survey (USGS)
• Historical 1:24,000 topographical map of Beach Haven, New Jersey and the surrounding area
• Map is dated 1951 and carries a 1984 imprint
• Uses color to represent different topographic features
• Elevation is shown through contour lines
• Shows coastal elevation changes and water bodies
• Useful for studying coastal development and environmental change over time

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.