Published in 1942 by the United States Geological Survey, “Havre De Grace” presents the head of Chesapeake Bay with the clarity and authority characteristic of mid-twentieth-century American topographic mapping. At a scale of 1:62,500, it captures both the waterfront city of Havre de Grace and the surrounding Maryland landscape at a revealing moment in time, when older maritime patterns, rail corridors, rural roads, and expanding settlement were beginning to meet the pressures of wartime industry and later suburban growth. The title itself evokes the city’s long association with water, trade, and strategic movement, positioned where the Susquehanna River pours into the Chesapeake Bay—one of the defining geographic junctions of the eastern United States.

The United States Geological Survey brought to this map a scientific precision that made its quadrangles indispensable to engineers, planners, soldiers, conservationists, and travelers alike. Founded in 1879, the USGS was tasked with understanding the nation’s terrain, resources, and natural hazards, and its cartographic work became a benchmark of disciplined observation. This sheet reflects that institutional rigor through carefully drawn contour lines, water features, road networks, railway alignments, and settlement patterns. Rather than offering a decorative fantasy of place, it presents Maryland’s upper bay country as a living system: hills descending toward tidal water, transport routes threading through valleys, and communities shaped by the practical demands of geography.

Havre de Grace occupies the map’s emotional and geographic center, set at the meeting of river and bay. The city’s waterfront location made it historically important for fishing, shipping, boatbuilding, ferrying, and military movement, while its proximity to major land routes tied it to Baltimore, Philadelphia, and the broader Atlantic seaboard. The Susquehanna River, broad and commanding, dominates the composition as it reaches its tidal conclusion, while Chesapeake Bay opens southward as a vast natural highway. Nearby roads and railways show how human infrastructure adapted to this confluence, bridging and skirting waterways, linking small communities, and reinforcing Havre de Grace’s role as a gateway between inland Pennsylvania waters and coastal Maryland.

The map’s topographic style rewards close study. Contour lines and subtle color-coded relief reveal a landscape of ridges, low hills, shallow valleys, and drainage patterns, giving visual form to the terrain beyond the shoreline. The Gunpowder River and other waterways add complexity to the region’s hydrology, while smaller ponds and lakes punctuate the countryside. Shaded green areas suggest parks, wooded tracts, or less-developed spaces, contrasting with the denser markings of roads, railroads, and town grids. This is not merely a map of destinations; it is a portrait of landform and water movement, showing how elevation, slope, and river corridors influenced where people built, traveled, farmed, and gathered.

As a 1942 document, this map preserves the Havre de Grace region on the threshold of dramatic change. The United States was fully engaged in the Second World War, and maps of this kind had practical significance for infrastructure, mobility, and resource planning. At the same time, the sheet records pre- and early-wartime land use before the rapid postwar transformations that would alter many communities around Chesapeake Bay through highway expansion, suburban development, and changing waterfront economies. Its roads, railways, open lands, and town boundaries offer a historical baseline against which later growth can be understood. Elegant in its restraint and rich in information, it is both a scientific record and a deeply evocative regional portrait.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Havre de Grace
• Chesapeake Bay
• Susquehanna River
• Gunpowder River
• Major roads and railways, including those leading into Havre de Grace
• Nearby valleys and hills
• Various unnamed lakes and ponds
• Possible parks or green spaces highlighted by the map’s shading

Historical context & cartographic details

• Historical 1:62,500 topographical map of Havre de Grace, Maryland and its surrounding area
• Created in 1942
• Published by the US Geological Survey
• Shows Havre de Grace at the confluence of the Susquehanna River and Chesapeake Bay
• Features a classic topographic style with color-coded relief, contour lines, and shading
• Depicts hills, valleys, waterways, and surrounding elevations
• Illustrates land use and development patterns from 1942
• Reflects historical changes in urbanization and landscape, particularly in the context of post-war expansion

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.