Published in 1958 from 1957 survey work, the US Geological Survey’s “Burton Lake” captures a richly folded corner of northeastern Georgia at the precise 1:24,000 scale favored for detailed topographic study. Centered on Lake Burton and nearby Seed Lake in Rabun County, the map presents a landscape shaped by water, elevation, and forested mountain country. Its blue lakes and streams stand out against vibrant green tones that emphasize vegetative cover, while closely spaced contour lines reveal the steep ridges and coves of the southern Blue Ridge. More than a technical document, it is a mid-century portrait of a beloved Appalachian lake district, showing the relationship between human access, recreational waters, and the rugged terrain that frames them.

Lake Burton dominates the composition, its branching shoreline reaching into sheltered coves beneath ridges and wooded slopes. Formed by the damming of the Tallulah River, the lake had already become one of Georgia’s prized mountain retreats by the time this map was made, valued for boating, fishing, and the cool scenery of Rabun County. Seed Lake, downstream in the same hydrological system, appears as a slimmer companion reservoir, linking the mapped area to the larger story of hydroelectric development in the Tallulah River basin. The blue hydrography is especially evocative: rivers, creeks, inlets, and reservoir arms trace the natural drainage patterns that made these mountain lakes possible, while also recording the engineered waterscape of the mid-twentieth century.

The surrounding terrain is rendered with the clarity and restraint for which USGS quadrangles are admired. Contour lines articulate the rise and fall of unnamed hills, ridges, hollows, and creek valleys, making the map as much a study in relief as in place. Beaverdam Creek and other small waterways cut through the mountainous land, their courses suggesting the erosive forces that shaped these Appalachian foothills over centuries. The map’s green fields of vegetation, interlaced with elevation markings and road lines, give a vivid impression of a heavily wooded region where settlement and movement were negotiated around slope, water, and forest. It is a cartographic landscape of gradients: from shoreline to summit, from roadbed to ridge crest.

The presence of the Chattahoochee National Forest and Moccasin Creek State Park situates the map within Georgia’s broader conservation and recreation history. Moccasin Creek, today known for accessible lake and stream recreation, lies in a setting where state park development met the older wilderness character of the Blue Ridge. Trails and roads thread cautiously through the terrain, indicating routes of access into a region that was becoming increasingly attractive to anglers, boaters, hikers, and summer residents. In the late 1950s, this landscape stood at an interesting point between rural mountain life and modern outdoor leisure, and the map records that transition with understated precision. Its roads, forest boundaries, lakes, and creeks together form a guide to both movement and memory.

Produced by the US Geological Survey, “Burton Lake” belongs to a distinguished tradition of American scientific mapping that joined field observation, survey control, and elegant graphic design. USGS topographical maps were created not only for navigation, but also for planning, engineering, conservation, and environmental understanding. This example is especially valuable for studying late-1950s land use and hydrology in Rabun County, offering a baseline against which later shoreline development, forest change, road expansion, and ecological shifts can be compared. Its disciplined symbology—blue water, green vegetation, and precise contours—makes the mountainous terrain immediately legible. For collectors, historians, and admirers of the southern Appalachians, it is a refined cartographic record of Lake Burton and Seed Lake at a defining moment in their modern history.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Lake Burton
• Seed Lake
• Rabun County
• Tallulah River
• Beaverdam Creek
• Blue Ridge
• Moccasin Creek State Park
• Chattahoochee National Forest
• Various trails and roads
• Various unnamed hills and ridges

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the US Geological Survey (USGS)
• Created in 1957 and published in 1958
• 1:24,000 scale topographical map
• Uses contour lines to show elevation changes and mountainous terrain
• Water bodies are depicted in blue
• Vibrant green tones highlight vegetative areas
• Includes elevation markings throughout the landscape
• Reflects the geographical and hydrological features of the area during the late 1950s
• Useful for studying changes in land use and ecology 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.