Published in 1921, the US Geological Survey’s “Augusta” presents the Georgia city and its surrounding countryside at a moment of early twentieth-century transition. Centered on Augusta, the map records an urban landscape shaped by the Savannah River, by rail connections, and by the long economic legacy of cotton. Its title is spare and authoritative, typical of USGS quadrangles, yet the sheet itself is rich with local detail: roads radiating from the city, waterways threading through Richmond and Columbia Counties, and settlement patterns revealing the relationship between town, plantation country, and emerging industry. For collectors, it captures Augusta after the Civil War era but before later suburban expansion transformed the region’s geography.

The map’s topographic language is one of precision and restraint. Contour lines articulate the hills, valleys, river terraces, and subtle uplands surrounding Augusta, making visible the terrain that influenced transportation routes, agricultural use, and urban growth. Color is used functionally, distinguishing water, vegetation, built areas, and relief without overwhelming the survey’s clarity. The Savannah River is the dominant natural feature, defining Augusta’s eastern edge and linking the city to wider commercial networks. Smaller streams, lowlands, and elevations are rendered with the disciplined accuracy that made USGS maps indispensable to engineers, planners, geologists, landowners, and travelers seeking to understand the land in practical detail.

Augusta’s historical importance gives this map particular resonance. Long associated with the cotton trade, the city developed as a commercial and manufacturing center whose mills, warehouses, rail lines, and river access connected the agricultural interior to broader markets. The Civil War also left a deep imprint on Augusta, which served as an important Confederate industrial and supply center. By 1921, the city was negotiating a new era: industrial growth, improved transportation, and changing land use were reshaping its relationship with the surrounding counties. This map quietly documents that moment, preserving the framework of roads, railways, watercourses, and neighborhoods from which modern Augusta would continue to evolve.

The US Geological Survey, established in the late nineteenth century, became one of America’s most important scientific mapping agencies, and this sheet reflects its mature cartographic standards. USGS maps were not decorative fantasies but instruments of national knowledge, designed to support resource management, infrastructure, agriculture, and public administration. In the “Augusta” quadrangle, that mission is evident in the careful integration of natural and human geography. Railroads and roads are mapped alongside rivers and contours, making the sheet useful for understanding how people moved through the landscape and how settlement adapted to topography. The result is both a technical survey and a historical portrait.

Beyond the city itself, the map invites close study of Richmond County, Columbia County, and the Savannah River corridor. Parks, riverine recreational areas, rural roads, and scattered communities appear within a landscape of rolling elevations and drainage lines. The wider watershed would later be altered upstream by major reservoir projects such as Lake Hartwell, but this 1921 view preserves an earlier geography of river, farm, woodland, and town. Its contours reveal why certain routes followed ridges or valleys, while its transportation network shows Augusta’s regional importance. As a record of place, the map is a compelling window into Georgia’s Piedmont edge and the historical geography of one of the South’s notable cities.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Augusta, Georgia
• Savannah River
• Lake Hartwell
• Richmond County
• Columbia County
• Various roads and railways near Augusta
• Parks and recreational areas near the rivers
• Topographical features such as hills and valleys surrounding the city

Historical context & cartographic details

• Published by the US Geological Survey (USGS)
• Historical 1:62,500 topographical map dated 1921
• Shows Augusta, Georgia and the surrounding area
• Augusta is noted for its role in the cotton industry and its Civil War history
• Reflects the geographical organization of Augusta during a period of early 20th-century industrial growth and urban transition
• Uses a detailed topographic style with contour lines to indicate elevation changes
• Employs color to differentiate terrain types and land use
• Illustrates varied elevations, water bodies, roads, railways, and surrounding landscape features
• Represents the USGS tradition of accurate, detailed mapping for land development and natural resource management

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.