Published in 1951, the United States Geological Survey’s “Norfolk” presents a finely observed topographical portrait of northwestern Connecticut and the adjoining Massachusetts borderlands at a scale of 1:31,680. Centered on Norfolk, the map captures a landscape of upland villages, wooded ridges, ponds, reservoirs, roads, and rural infrastructure at mid-century. Its original title is elegantly spare, but the sheet’s content is rich: Norfolk appears not merely as a town, but as part of a broader physical setting shaped by elevation, water, forest, and settlement. As with the best USGS quadrangles, the map balances scientific precision with visual clarity, offering a historically grounded view of a region whose quiet hills and waterways have long defined its character.

The US Geological Survey became renowned for maps that transformed the American landscape into a legible system of contours, symbols, and measured relationships. In this Norfolk sheet, that discipline is immediately evident. Contour lines articulate the rise and fall of the terrain, revealing rolling hills, narrow valleys, and higher ground with a clarity that invites close reading. Roads, railways, trails, buildings, streams, ponds, and land-cover distinctions are rendered in the familiar topographic language that made USGS maps indispensable to planners, engineers, conservationists, hikers, and historians. The result is both practical and beautiful: a mid-twentieth-century document of place, created with the rigor of national survey work and the understated elegance of traditional American cartography.

Norfolk itself sits within a distinctive upland environment, and the map emphasizes the natural drama of the surrounding countryside. Haystack Mountain stands out as one of the defining features, its elevation expressed through tightly drawn contours that convey the steepness and prominence of the landform. Saw Mill Hill and nearby ridges contribute to a varied terrain of crests, slopes, and sheltered hollows. Water bodies such as Kissing Rock Lake, Talmadge Pond, and the Winsted Reservoir add further texture, their shapes contrasting with the angular precision of roads and property lines. Together, these features create an image of a Connecticut landscape where settlement is interwoven with forest, water, and rugged topography.

The map also extends the viewer’s attention beyond Norfolk to neighboring communities and borderland places, including Goshen, Connecticut, and South Sandisfield, Massachusetts. This cross-border setting gives the sheet particular historical interest, showing the continuity of terrain and transportation across political lines. Roads and railways trace the practical routes by which people moved through a hilly rural region, while trails and access routes suggest longstanding engagement with the outdoors. Parks and recreational areas reflect the growing mid-century appreciation for conservation, public access, and scenic landscapes. In this sense, the map is not only a record of geography, but also a snapshot of how residents and visitors inhabited, traversed, and valued the Litchfield Hills and neighboring Berkshire country.

As a historical document, the 1951 “Norfolk” sheet offers a compelling baseline for understanding change over time. Its careful depiction of roads, developed areas, water features, wooded land, and recreational routes allows comparison with the modern landscape, revealing patterns of development, preservation, and shifting infrastructure. The map belongs to an era when topographic surveying was central to national planning and local knowledge alike, and its details preserve the texture of Norfolk before many later transformations. For collectors, historians, and admirers of Connecticut’s uplands, it evokes a place of quiet elevation and enduring natural appeal: a carefully mapped world of ponds, hills, villages, and wooded roads, seen through the exacting eye of the USGS.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Norfolk, Connecticut
• Goshen, Connecticut
• South Sandisfield, Massachusetts
• Kissing Rock Lake
• Talmadge Pond
• Winsted Reservoir
• Haystack Mountain
• Saw Mill Hill
• Parks and recreational areas
• Roads and railways
• Trails marked for hiking or access to natural areas
• Additional water bodies and ponds throughout the region

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the United States Geological Survey (USGS)
• Historical 1:31,680 topographical map dated 1951
• Shows Norfolk, Connecticut and the surrounding geographical features
• Traditional topographic style with contour lines representing elevation changes
• Color is used to convey land cover types
• Fine detail highlights both natural and man-made features
• Illustrates rolling hills, valleys, and various water bodies
• Marked contour intervals provide a clear visual representation of elevation
• Offers insight into land use and geographical changes in Norfolk since 1951
• Documents changes in development, conservation, and infrastructure 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.