Published in 1943, the US Geological Survey’s “James Island” presents the barrier-island edge of South Carolina with the precision and restraint characteristic of America’s national mapping agency. At a scale of 1:24,000, it captures Folly Beach, James Island, Cummings Point, and the intricate coastal waters south of Charleston at a moment before the dramatic expansion of late twentieth-century seaside development. The map’s subject is both settled and elemental: roads and small residential areas appear alongside broad marshes, tidal channels, and the open Atlantic Ocean. Its title is modest, yet the landscape it records is richly layered, joining recreational coastline, lowcountry settlement, and strategic maritime geography in one carefully measured view.

The US Geological Survey, founded in 1879, became synonymous with systematic, scientifically grounded mapping of the United States, and this sheet is an excellent example of its mature topographic style. Rather than ornament, the map relies on disciplined clarity: blue waterways define creeks, inlets, marshes, and ocean margins, while beige contour lines trace the subtle elevation changes of a low coastal terrain. In a place where a few feet of height can distinguish dry ground from tidal wetland, such cartographic exactness is especially meaningful. Roads, trails, shorelines, and settlement patterns are recorded with an economy that rewards close inspection, revealing how human movement adapted to the limitations and opportunities of the coast.

Folly Beach is the most evocative place on the map, shown before it became the densely developed resort community familiar today. Its long, narrow form faces the Atlantic, with beaches and surf on one side and marsh-fringed waterways on the other. The town’s recreational identity was already emerging, but the surrounding landscape remained defined by tidal rhythms, open stretches, and the delicate geometry of barrier-island geography. Cummings Point and nearby shorelines hint at the broader Charleston harbor system, where sand, current, storm, and military history have all left their mark. The map records Folly not merely as a destination, but as part of a shifting coastal environment.

James Island itself occupies a fascinating position between city, harbor, marsh, and sea. Historically tied to the plantation landscapes, military approaches, and maritime economy of the Charleston region, it serves here as a landward counterpoint to Folly Beach’s oceanfront exposure. The map’s waterways are especially important: creeks and marsh channels cut through the terrain, shaping routes, property, access, and settlement. These blue networks help explain the area’s geography more vividly than political boundaries ever could. They show a lowcountry world in which land and water are inseparable, where travel, habitation, and defense were all conditioned by tidal creeks, soft ground, and narrow corridors of higher land.

The historical resonance of a 1943 coastal map is considerable. Created during the Second World War, it documents a region whose proximity to Charleston Harbor gave it more than local significance, even while the sheet itself maintains the neutral language of scientific cartography. To modern eyes, the map offers a valuable pre-development portrait of Folly Beach and its surrounding marshlands, before heavier coastal construction altered roads, neighborhoods, and shorefront use. Its carefully drawn contours, waterways, roads, and rural-residential traces preserve the look of a lowcountry landscape in transition. Elegant in its precision, “James Island” is both a practical topographic document and a quietly compelling historical view of South Carolina’s Atlantic edge.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Folly Beach
• James Island
• Various waterways and marshes
• Atlantic Ocean
• Cummings Point
• Coastlines
• Roads and trails shown
• Nearby residential and rural areas

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the US Geological Survey, this historical 1:24,000 topographical map shows Folly Beach in South Carolina and the surrounding area.
• Published in 1943.
• Created by the US Geological Survey (USGS), a notable agency responsible for mapping and surveying the United States.
• The map prominently features Folly Beach, a popular tourist destination known for its beaches and recreational activities.
• Uses varying shades of blue to denote water bodies and beige contour lines to represent elevation changes, typical of USGS topographic maps.
• Shows a coastal landscape with elevation contours, marshlands, waterways, and varied landforms.
• Provides a snapshot of the area before extensive coastal development, showing how places like Folly Beach appeared and were used at the time.
• The clarity of the contours and waterways reflects the cartographic precision typical of USGS maps.

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 18x24in (45x60cm) 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.