Published in 1969 from mapping dated 1967, the USGS topographical map titled “Cornwall” captures the Blacksburg, Virginia area at the precise and intimate scale of 1:24,000. This is the classic language of American field cartography: contour lines articulate every rise and hollow, blue waterways thread through the valleys, roads and settlements mark human movement, and shaded color distinctions clarify woodland, open ground, and developed areas. Centered on a region where Appalachian terrain meets university-town growth, the map records Blacksburg and its environs at a moment before later decades of expansion reshaped the landscape. Its title, understated and local, anchors a richly detailed portrait of southwestern Virginia’s uplands.

The map was produced by the United States Geological Survey, an institution whose work has defined the visual grammar of American topography since the late nineteenth century. USGS maps were created not merely for navigation, but for scientific understanding: geology, hydrology, engineering, land management, and public planning all depended on their accuracy. By the 1960s, the Survey’s 1:24,000 quadrangles had become indispensable tools for researchers, hikers, developers, and government agencies alike. In this sheet, the USGS’s disciplined design transforms a complex mountain landscape into an intelligible system of elevation, drainage, roads, and settlement. It is both practical cartography and a historical record of how the federal government measured and understood the nation’s terrain.

Blacksburg is the principal human landmark on the map, notable then as now for its association with Virginia Tech, one of the leading public research universities in the United States. The town’s placement amid ridges, valleys, and streams is especially vivid at this scale, showing how settlement followed the contours of the land rather than overriding them. Roads radiate through the surrounding countryside, linking the university town to smaller rural communities, forested slopes, and agricultural clearings. For historians of education, planning, and regional development, the map offers a valuable snapshot of Blacksburg before its more recent growth. Campus, town, and countryside appear as parts of a single evolving Appalachian landscape.

The surrounding topography gives the map much of its character. Contour lines reveal a varied terrain of mountains, folded ridges, valleys, and stream corridors, characteristic of the Ridge-and-Valley province of southwestern Virginia. The presence of the George Washington National Forest connects the sheet to a broader conservation landscape, where public forestlands preserve rugged uplands, watersheds, and recreational terrain. Streams and smaller drainages structure the map visually, descending through hollows and guiding roads, farms, and settlements. This is a landscape where geology is never far from the surface: the land rises, narrows, opens, and falls in patterns that can be read almost like a relief sculpture.

As a historical document, “Cornwall” is especially compelling because it captures a changing region in the late 1960s. Many roads, neighborhoods, institutional lands, and natural areas shown here have since been altered by urban development, university expansion, infrastructure improvements, or environmental change. The map therefore preserves not only geography, but a vanished arrangement of human and natural features. For planners, genealogists, environmental researchers, and collectors, it offers evidence of where communities stood, how roads connected them, and how open land, woodland, and waterways were distributed at the time. Its quiet precision makes it a refined record of place: Blacksburg and its mountain setting, measured before the modern era fully arrived.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Blacksburg, Virginia
• George Washington National Forest
• Various streams and rivers
• Highways and roads
• Virginia Tech
• Other populated places and rural communities in the area

Historical context & cartographic details

• Historical 1:24,000 topographical map showing Blacksburg, Virginia and the surrounding area
• Dated 1967 and published in 1969
• Produced by the US Geological Survey (USGS)
• The USGS has played a critical role in producing detailed geological maps of the United States, contributing significantly to cartography and geology
• Features a standard topographical style with contour lines indicating elevation changes
• Uses various colors to represent different landforms and vegetation types
• Illustrates a diverse landscape of mountains, valleys, and streams
• Valuable as a historical document because many areas shown may have undergone urban development or environmental change since 1967

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.