Published in 1968 from 1956 mapping, “Bay St. Louis Quadrangle” presents the Mississippi Gulf Coast with the precision and quiet authority characteristic of the United States Geological Survey. Centered on Bay St. Louis and the broad waters of St. Louis Bay, the map captures a coastal landscape poised between town, marsh, bayou, and open sound. Mississippi Sound stretches across the lower portion of the sheet in striking blue, while the inhabited margins of Bay St. Louis, Waveland, Clermont Harbor, and Henderson Point reveal the settled pattern of the mid-twentieth-century shoreline. As a 1:24,000 topographic quadrangle, it offers an intimate view of roads, waterways, elevations, and land use at a scale suited to both scientific study and historical discovery.

The map’s visual appeal lies in the clarity of USGS topographic design: crisp linework, carefully graded symbols, and a vivid blue treatment of water that gives the coastal geography immediate presence. St. Louis Bay, Mississippi Sound, Little Lake, Bayou La Croix, and surrounding tidal features are not merely named but woven into the structure of the landscape. Contour lines describe the subtle relief of a low coastal plain, where even modest changes in elevation matter profoundly. Color coding distinguishes developed places from grassland and natural terrain, allowing the eye to read settlement and environment together. This combination of technical restraint and visual richness makes the quadrangle both a practical geographic document and an evocative portrait of the Gulf Coast.

Bay St. Louis itself appears as the principal settlement, set along the curving edge of the bay from which it takes its name. Nearby Waveland and Clermont Harbor speak to the chain of coastal communities that developed along Mississippi’s waterfront, each shaped by access to the Sound, rail and road corridors, and the enduring attraction of the shore. Henderson Point occupies a strategic position at the mouth of St. Louis Bay, while Fort Moses and Lyman add inland and historical texture to the mapped region. Offshore, Square Handkerchief Shoal hints at the shallow, shifting marine geography of Mississippi Sound, a place of channels, shoals, fisheries, storms, and navigation.

As a record of 1956 conditions, the map is especially compelling for what it reveals about a coast before later decades of accelerated development, highway expansion, and repeated hurricane transformation. The distribution of built-up areas, open grasslands, bayous, and shore roads provides a valuable snapshot of land use in the postwar Gulf South. Bay St. Louis and its neighboring communities were already established coastal settlements, yet much of the surrounding terrain retained an open, transitional character. The quadrangle therefore invites comparison with the modern landscape, where changing shorelines, storm impacts, and urban growth have altered both geography and memory. It is a map of place, but also of time.

The United States Geological Survey brought to maps like this a national program of measurement, classification, and public knowledge. Founded in 1879, the USGS became one of America’s most important cartographic institutions, transforming landscapes into standardized quadrangles that served engineers, planners, scientists, military users, and local communities. “Bay St. Louis Quadrangle” belongs to that great project: precise enough for field use, yet full of the regional character that makes historic topographic maps so absorbing. Its combination of coastal hydrology, settlement detail, and understated design captures a distinctive corner of Mississippi at mid-century. For collectors of Gulf Coast history, maritime geography, or American cartography, it offers a beautifully disciplined view of a landscape shaped by water.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Bay St. Louis
• St. Louis Bay
• Mississippi Sound
• Henderson Point
• Gulfport
• Little Lake
• Fort Moses
• Clermont Harbor
• Lyman
• Waveland
• Bayou La Croix
• Square Handkerchief Shoal
• Grassland areas
• Coastal regions

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the United States Geological Survey, a U.S. government agency known for topographical mapping
• Historical 1:24,000 topographical map of Bay St. Louis, Mississippi and the surrounding area
• Created in 1956 and published with a 1968 imprint
• Features bright blue water bodies and color coding to distinguish developed areas from natural landscapes
• Includes contour lines and elevation detail, highlighting the coastal geography of the region
• Reflects geographical and infrastructural details from 1956
• Provides insight into coastal development and land use changes in Mississippi 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.