The “Gettysburg Quadrangle” was published by the U.S. Geological Survey in 1953, using survey data from 1951, and presents one of America’s most storied landscapes with the quiet precision of mid-century topographic cartography. At 1:24,000 scale, it renders Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and its surrounding Adams County countryside in the classic USGS language of contour lines, elevation figures, road classifications, streams, woodland, and built-up areas. The result is both practical and evocative: a measured portrait of ridges, farms, roads, and town streets layered over ground made famous by the Civil War. Gettysburg itself appears not merely as a historic name, but as a living borough set within a carefully surveyed rural terrain.

The map’s great fascination lies in the way its topography reveals the military geography of the Gettysburg battlefield. Cemetery Hill, Cemetery Ridge, McPherson’s Ridge, Oak Hill, and Little Round Top are not abstract historical landmarks here, but physical features whose slopes, elevations, and relationships can be read directly through the contours. The gently rising ground and commanding ridgelines that shaped the Battle of Gettysburg emerge with particular clarity. Little Round Top, so often described in battlefield narratives, is shown as part of a larger pattern of hills and approaches, while Cemetery Ridge and the surrounding open fields help explain why this landscape became so tactically consequential in July 1863.

The U.S. Geological Survey brought to this map the disciplined visual system that made its quadrangles indispensable to planners, engineers, historians, hikers, and government agencies. Roads such as Emmitsburg Road, Taneytown Road, Baltimore Pike, Westminster Road, and Maple Avenue provide the framework of local movement, while streams including Rock Creek and Willoughby Run trace the natural drainage of the area. The clean color scheme and standardized symbols distinguish roads, watercourses, buildings, woodlands, and relief without ornament, allowing the complexity of the landscape to speak for itself. This restrained cartographic style gives the map a particular authority: every line exists to clarify location, distance, elevation, and terrain.

Beyond the battlefield, the map captures Gettysburg and nearby communities at a moment of postwar American transition. In 1951, the region still retained much of its agricultural character, with open fields, township roads, small settlements, and preserved spaces surrounding the historic core. Straban Township, Two Taverns, and the rural road network east and south of Gettysburg situate the famous town within a broader working landscape. At the same time, the map hints at the pressures of modern development, as highways, residential edges, and institutional spaces begin to shape the historic countryside. It is a valuable snapshot of Adams County before later waves of tourism infrastructure and suburban expansion further transformed the area.

As a historical document, the “Gettysburg Quadrangle” is especially compelling because it bridges two kinds of memory: the battlefield’s nineteenth-century significance and the twentieth-century effort to map, manage, and preserve it. The fields of Gettysburg National Military Park and surrounding open spaces appear within an exact geographic framework, allowing the viewer to connect commemorative landscapes with the measurable realities of terrain. The map quietly records the roads, ridges, runs, and hills that guided soldiers, civilians, preservationists, and visitors alike. For admirers of American history, military geography, and classic USGS cartography, it offers a richly detailed view of a place where landscape and national memory remain inseparable.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Gettysburg
• Cemetery Hill
• Little Round Top
• Cemetery Ridge
• McPherson's Ridge
• Oak Hill
• Rock Creek
• Willoughby Run
• Adams County
• Straban Township
• Two Taverns
• Emmitsburg Road
• Taneytown Road
• Maple Avenue
• Baltimore Pike
• Westminster Road
• Fields of the Gettysburg National Military Park
• Several unnamed roads and trails
• Parks and open spaces noted on the map

Historical context & cartographic details

• Gettysburg Quadrangle
• Produced by the U.S. Geological Survey
• Historical 1:24,000 topographical map of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and the surrounding area
• Based on survey data from 1951 and published in 1953
• Created from 1951 survey data
• Published by the U.S. Geological Survey, noted for producing topographical maps used in planning and analysis
• Prominently features Gettysburg, a historically significant Civil War battlefield location
• Uses standard USGS cartographic styling with contour lines, elevation markings, and a clear color scheme
• Shows varied terrain, including flat and hilly landscapes, with contour lines indicating elevation changes
• Reflects an area that has since experienced urban development, land-use changes, and preservation efforts tied to its historical heritage

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.