Titled “Point Pleasant,” this United States Geological Survey topographical map was created in 1953 and issued with a 1965 imprint, preserving a finely measured view of the northern Ocean County coast in the postwar era. At a scale of 1:24,000, it presents Bay Head, Mantoloking, Point Pleasant, and the adjoining waterways with the precision characteristic of USGS quadrangle mapping. The pale blue expanse of the Atlantic Ocean, Barnegat Bay, the Manasquan River, and the Metedeconk River gives the sheet its coastal clarity, while the shorelines, inlets, beaches, and marshes reveal a landscape shaped as much by water as by settlement. It is a portrait of a New Jersey shore community at a moment when resort life, transportation corridors, and fragile barrier environments were increasingly intertwined.

The USGS, founded in 1879, brought scientific rigor and national ambition to the mapping of American terrain, and this map reflects that tradition in miniature. Rather than romanticizing the coast, it records it systematically: roads and railways appear in crisp red lines, waterways are distinguished in clean blue, and vegetation is rendered through green shading that helps separate wooded tracts, wetlands, and developed corridors. Contour lines, though modest in this low-lying coastal region, remain essential, tracing the subtle rises and depressions that define barrier beaches, mainland edges, and marshy margins. The result is both practical and elegant—a disciplined government survey that also happens to capture the delicate geometry of shore, bay, river, and town.

Bay Head and Mantoloking occupy a particularly evocative place on this map, poised along the slender barrier between Barnegat Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Their position underscores the distinctive geography of the New Jersey shore: narrow ribbons of habitation facing open sea on one side and protected tidal waters on the other. Beaches, residential neighborhoods, road alignments, and crossings are all shown in relation to the wider coastal system. Mantoloking’s linear form and Bay Head’s compact settlement pattern speak to the development pressures and pleasures of mid-century seaside life, when rail access, highways, summer homes, and year-round communities coexisted along an increasingly valued shoreline. The map quietly records the built environment before later decades of intensified coastal change.

Inland and northward, the map broadens into a study of rivers, bays, and transitional landscapes. The Metedeconk River and Manasquan River frame the region’s hydrological character, connecting neighborhoods, wetlands, and wooded areas to the larger estuarine environment. Cattus Island and the marshlands around Barnegat Bay evoke the ecological richness of the coast, where tidal flats, reeds, creeks, and sheltered coves support a landscape very different from the exposed beachfront. The inclusion of Dover and surrounding communities places the resort towns within a larger network of Ocean County settlement, transportation, and land use. Highways, local roads, and railways show how people moved through this watery terrain, linking mainland communities with the barrier shore and the Atlantic beaches beyond.

As a historical document, “Point Pleasant” is especially compelling because it captures the shore before many later transformations in development, infrastructure, and environmental management. Comparing its early-1950s geography with the present would reveal altered shorelines, expanded residential patterns, engineered beaches, changed wetlands, and shifting relationships between human settlement and coastal risk. Yet the map is not merely a record of change; it is also a beautifully organized account of place. Its light blue waters, green vegetation, red transportation lines, and carefully drawn contours create a layered visual language for reading the coast. For collectors drawn to New Jersey history, American topography, or the evolving story of barrier islands and bays, this map offers a precise and atmospheric window into the mid-century Jersey Shore.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Bay Head
• Mantoloking
• Point Pleasant
• Metedeconk River
• Barnegat Bay
• Ocean County
• Dover
• Cattus Island
• Manasquan River
• Atlantic Ocean
• Various parks and wooded areas bordering the waterways
• Roads and railways indicated by red lines
• Major highways near the coastal region
• Nearby residential neighborhoods
• Coastal beaches and marshlands

Historical context & cartographic details

• Map title: Point Pleasant
• Historical 1:24,000 topographical map of the New Jersey coastal region
• Created in 1953 and published with a 1965 imprint
• Produced by the United States Geological Survey, commonly known as the USGS
• The USGS is a scientific agency of the U.S. government that maps and studies natural resources, landscapes, and natural hazards
• Light blue water representation emphasizes marine and coastal areas
• Detailed topographic lines show elevation changes
• Varying shades of green indicate vegetation and land cover
• The map documents the area as it appeared in the early 1950s, offering insight into later changes in land use, development, and environmental conditions
• Intricate rendering of local geographical features showcases the coastal environment of New Jersey

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.