Published in 1942 under the succinct title “Oxford,” this U.S. Geological Survey topographical map captures a finely observed portion of Maryland’s Eastern Shore at a scale of 1:31,680. Centered on the historic waterfront town of Oxford, it presents a mid-twentieth-century landscape of tidal rivers, farm roads, rail connections, and scattered settlements at the edge of the Chesapeake Bay. The map’s disciplined USGS style—clear lettering, measured contouring, and a restrained palette of greens and pale yellows—gives the region both scientific clarity and quiet visual elegance. It records Oxford not as a resort or nostalgic village, but as a working Chesapeake community embedded in waterways, fields, landings, and the delicate geography of peninsulas and creeks.

The U.S. Geological Survey, founded in 1879, became the authoritative cartographic voice of the American landscape, producing maps that served engineers, planners, soldiers, scientists, and travelers alike. By 1942, its topographic mapping program had matured into a sophisticated national enterprise, combining field survey, geodetic control, and standardized symbology. This Oxford sheet reflects that institutional precision: elevations are traced with contour lines, roads and railways are differentiated, and buildings, farms, and rural structures are rendered with unobtrusive but meaningful marks. The result is a map that is both practical and evocative, revealing how land was occupied, traversed, drained, cultivated, and connected during a moment when wartime America was rapidly modernizing.

Oxford itself appears in its characteristic setting on the Tred Avon River, one of the Chesapeake’s storied tidal waterways. Long associated with maritime trade, boatbuilding, ferries, and oystering, the town’s position is central to the map’s appeal. Nearby St. Michaels, Royal Oak, Trappe, Belvidere, and Easton situate Oxford within a broader network of Eastern Shore communities, each connected by roads, rails, and waterways rather than by sprawling urban development. The Choptank River and Tred Avon River shape the composition as much as any road grid, reminding the viewer that movement, commerce, and settlement here were historically dictated by water. Neck No. 8 and Great Oak Point further emphasize the deeply indented, amphibious character of the Chesapeake landscape.

The cartographic design conveys the low, subtle topography of Talbot County with unusual grace. In a region without dramatic mountains, the USGS contour lines reveal minute changes in elevation that matter greatly in a tidal environment—rises, shorelines, marsh margins, drainage patterns, and the gentle relief between fields and rivers. Greens and pale yellows distinguish land cover and terrain, while the map’s grid provides a measured framework for navigation and reference. Private residences and farms appear not as anonymous development, but as dispersed marks within a rural pattern of cultivated land and waterfront access. Roads and railways thread between these places, documenting a landscape still shaped by agriculture, local trade, and maritime proximity.

As a historical document, the 1942 Oxford map preserves the Eastern Shore before many later transformations in development, transportation, shoreline management, and environmental awareness. It shows a Chesapeake landscape during the mid-century, when traditional rural patterns remained legible and waterfront settlements had not yet been fully reshaped by modern tourism, suburban expansion, and ecological change. The map is especially compelling for those interested in Maryland history, coastal geography, maritime culture, or the evolving relationship between land and tide. Its value lies not only in the places it names—Oxford, St. Michaels, Easton, Trappe—but in the quieter details: farmsteads, creeks, points, roads, and contours that together form a precise portrait of the Chesapeake at a particular historical moment.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Oxford
• St. Michaels
• Trappe
• Royal Oak
• Belvidere
• Easton
• Choptank River
• Tred Avon River
• Chesapeake Bay
• Neck No 8
• Great Oak Point
• Various roads and railways
• Other private residences and farms depicted with non-urban symbols

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the US Geological Survey, this historical 1:31,680 topographical map shows Oxford, Maryland, and the surrounding area.
• The map is dated 1942.
• Published by the US Geological Survey (USGS), an important American mapping agency known for scientific study and geospatial data.
• The map focuses on Oxford, a small Maryland town known for its maritime history and proximity to the Chesapeake Bay.
• Features a simple, clear layout with a distinctive palette of greens and pale yellows to indicate terrain and elevation.
• Includes a grid pattern for easier navigation.
• Shows elevation contours and geographical features such as rivers.
• Serves as a historical reference for mid-20th-century land use and geography, before later development and environmental changes in the area.

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.