{"product_id":"old-map-of-great-barrington-massachusetts-by-usgs-1958-monterey-housatonic-river","title":"Old Map of Great Barrington, Massachusetts by USGS, 1958 – Monterey \u0026 Housatonic River","description":"\u003cp\u003eTitled “Great Barrington,” this U.S. Geological Survey topographic map presents one of the most beloved corners of the southern Berkshires, published in 1958 using survey data gathered in 1946. That interval gives the sheet a layered historical character: it records a landscape measured just after World War II and formalized during the prosperous, infrastructure-minded 1950s. At 1:24,000 scale, the map offers an intimate view of Great Barrington, Massachusetts, and its surrounding hills, valleys, roads, streams, ponds, and settled places. The result is both scientifically precise and quietly evocative—a portrait of a New England town poised between rural inheritance, postwar development, and the enduring natural drama of the Berkshire uplands.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe U.S. Geological Survey, established in 1879, became the great national authority on systematic topographic mapping, producing maps that served engineers, planners, scientists, land managers, hikers, and local communities alike. Its quadrangle maps transformed American geography into a legible, standardized visual language: contours for elevation, blue hydrology for rivers and ponds, green shading for wooded land, and carefully classified roads, trails, buildings, and boundaries. In this “Great Barrington” sheet, that tradition is on full display. The map is not merely a navigational tool, but a record of federal cartographic discipline, reflecting the USGS mission to document the nation’s physical form with accuracy, consistency, and an understated aesthetic elegance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGreat Barrington itself sits prominently within the map, a cultural and commercial center of the Berkshires long admired for its lively village character, scenic setting, and historic architecture. The surrounding area includes Monterey and a constellation of rural roads, fields, wooded slopes, streams, ponds, and small settlements that give the region its distinctive texture. The Housatonic River is a central presence, threading through the valley and helping to define the geography of movement, settlement, and industry. Roads and trails radiate across the sheet, linking village centers with farmsteads, forested uplands, lakes, and lowland corridors, revealing the close relationship between topography and human occupation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe map’s most compelling visual feature is its topographic character: a refined network of contour lines describing the rolling hills and valleys typical of the Berkshires. Elevation changes are rendered with regular intervals, allowing the viewer to read the rise and fall of the land almost intuitively. Hills gather in nested rings of contour, valleys open into gentler spacing, and watercourses carve through the terrain in blue. The greens and bluish tones create a restrained but expressive palette, distinguishing forest, open ground, rivers, ponds, and lakes without overwhelming the precision of the linework. It is a landscape made both measurable and beautiful.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHistorically, the map captures Great Barrington and its environs at a revealing moment. The 1946 survey data reflects a postwar landscape in which older agricultural patterns, village roads, river corridors, and forested hills remained highly visible, while the 1958 publication date places the map within an era of expanding automobile travel, suburban pressure, and renewed recreational interest in mountain and lake country. Comparing this sheet with contemporary maps would illuminate changes in land use, road networks, development, conservation, and the preservation of natural areas. As a historical document, it records not only terrain, but the balance between settlement and wilderness that has long defined the Berkshire identity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eCities, towns and places on this map\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGreat Barrington\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMonterey\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHousatonic River\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLakes\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRoads and trails\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eForested areas and open fields\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStreams and ponds\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eParks, if annotated\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNearby valleys and hills\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eHistorical context \u0026amp; cartographic details\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eProduced by the U.S. Geological Survey, known for its long-running program of detailed topographic mapping.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHistorical topographical map at a scale of 1:24,000.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSurvey data was collected in 1946, with a 1958 imprint.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eShows Great Barrington, Massachusetts, and the surrounding Berkshire landscape.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUses a traditional USGS topographic style with contour lines to represent elevation.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFeatures shading, a clear legend, green tones for land, and bluish tones for water bodies.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eReflects rolling Berkshire terrain with visible elevation changes.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCaptures a post-World War II landscape, useful for comparing changes in land use, urban expansion, and natural-area preservation.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLooking for a particular place?\u003c\/strong\u003e Review the detailed images to confirm that the town, landmark or feature you have in mind appears on the map. If you are unsure, \u003ca target=\"”_blank”\" href=\"\/it\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003eask our workshop to check before you order\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDetailed 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 50in (125cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please \u003ca href=\"\/it\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003eget in touch\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe model in the listing images is holding the 16x20in (40x50cm) version of this map.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhere personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. \u003ca target=\"”_blank”\" href=\"\/it\/pages\/map-personalisation\"\u003eSee personalised map examples\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEvery 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith 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 \u003ca target=\"”_blank”\" href=\"\/it\/collections\/all-old-vintage-antique-maps\"\u003erare old and vintage maps\u003c\/a\u003e to discover another place, period or style.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Unique Maps Co.","offers":[{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Map","offer_id":58800781623680,"sku":null,"price":39.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":58800781656448,"sku":null,"price":105.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed canvas map","offer_id":58800781689216,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Map","offer_id":58800781721984,"sku":null,"price":39.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":58800781754752,"sku":null,"price":105.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed canvas 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