Titled “Appomattox, Virginia,” this United States Geological Survey map was dated 1979 and published in 1982, presenting a carefully measured portrait of south-central Virginia at a moment before later waves of suburban and infrastructural change. At a scale of 1:100,000, it balances regional breadth with the precision for which the USGS is renowned, encompassing Hampden Sydney, Appomattox, Farmville, and the surrounding countryside of Prince Edward County. Its colored topography, road network, waterways, rail lines, wooded tracts, and settlement patterns together create a richly layered geographical record. More than a practical survey, it is a snapshot of landscape and movement: the contours of hills, the paths of rivers, and the human routes that linked courthouse towns, colleges, farms, and rural communities.

The US Geological Survey brought to this map a century-long tradition of exacting fieldwork, scientific standardization, and public cartography. Founded in the late nineteenth century, the USGS became the authoritative mapper of the American terrain, translating elevation, drainage, transportation, and settlement into a visual language instantly recognizable to engineers, planners, historians, and travelers. Here, the agency’s cartographic discipline is evident in the subtle orchestration of contour lines, color tints, and symbols. The hilly character of central Virginia is expressed through measured undulations rather than decorative flourish, while roads, railroads, lakes, and streams are integrated into a coherent landscape. The result is a map that is at once functional and quietly elegant, reflecting the confidence of late twentieth-century federal surveying.

Hampden Sydney, one of the principal populated places shown, lends the map particular cultural interest. Home to Hampden-Sydney College, one of the oldest institutions of higher learning in the United States, the community sits within a landscape where education, agriculture, and Virginia history intersect. Nearby Farmville adds another layer of significance, with Longwood University marking the town as a regional center of learning and civic life. The map captures these places not as isolated destinations, but as nodes within a broader terrain of county roads, wooded ridges, waterways, and rural settlement. US Route 15 and State Route 460 appear as vital arteries, linking communities across the Piedmont and revealing the evolving geography of travel in the late twentieth century.

The natural features shown on the map are especially evocative of Virginia’s Piedmont landscape. The Appomattox River and Buffalo River thread through the region, joined by smaller waterways such as Falling River, each shaping valleys, crossings, and patterns of habitation. Lake Montacle and other water features punctuate the terrain, while extensive wooded areas speak to the region’s mix of forest, farmland, and rolling uplands. The contour lines provide a disciplined rendering of elevation, showing the rise and fall of hills with scientific clarity. These details give the map a tactile sense of place: one can trace not only roads and towns, but the physical logic of the land itself, from drainage basins to wooded slopes and open corridors.

Historically, the name Appomattox carries exceptional resonance, forever associated with the closing days of the American Civil War and the surrender at Appomattox Court House. Though this map belongs to a much later era, its geography invites reflection on the persistence of place across time. By 1979, the region had become a modern landscape of highways, colleges, reservoirs, rail lines, and managed woodlands, yet its towns and rivers still echoed older patterns of settlement and memory. As a cartographic record, it allows comparison with contemporary maps, revealing changes in development, transportation, and environmental use. It is this combination of measured modern survey and deep historical association that gives “Appomattox, Virginia” its enduring appeal.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Hampden Sydney
• Appomattox
• Farmville
• Longwood University
• Falling River
• Buffalo River
• Lake Montacle
• Prince Edward County
• Appomattox River
• US Route 15
• State Route 460
• Railroads and trails
• Wooded areas and parks

Historical context & cartographic details

• Titled “Appomattox, Virginia”
• Produced by the US Geological Survey (USGS)
• Dated 1979 and published in 1982
• Focuses on Hampden Sydney, Virginia, and the surrounding region
• Drawn at a scale of 1:100,000, offering a broad regional view while retaining detailed terrain information
• Uses color and contour lines to show elevation changes and landscape features
• Depicts the hilly terrain typical of this part of Virginia
• Provides a geographic record of the area as it appeared in 1979, useful for comparison with modern maps
• Shows both natural and man-made features, supporting historical and contemporary geographic understanding of the region

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 36x20in (90x50cm) 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.