{"product_id":"old-map-of-nantucket-massachusetts-by-usgs-1945-nantucket-harbor-madaket-sconset","title":"Old Map of Nantucket, Massachusetts by USGS, 1945 – Nantucket Harbor, Madaket \u0026 Sconset","description":"\u003cp\u003ePublished in 1945, the United States Geological Survey’s “Nantucket” presents the island at a detailed 1:31,680 scale, capturing one of New England’s most storied maritime landscapes at a revealing mid-20th-century moment. The map encompasses Nantucket itself, its harbor, surrounding shoals and waters, and the settlements, roads, ponds, and coastal features that define the island’s distinctive geography. With Nantucket Sound to the north and the Atlantic Ocean pressing against its southern and eastern shores, the sheet frames the island as both a settled community and a vulnerable outpost of sand, surf, and sea lanes. Its careful topographic rendering offers a disciplined portrait of elevation, drainage, coastline, and habitation, balancing scientific precision with the quiet elegance of coastal cartography.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe USGS, founded in 1879, became the preeminent American institution for mapping the nation’s landforms, resources, and natural hazards, and this Nantucket sheet reflects the agency’s mature cartographic language. Roads, trails, contours, marshes, ponds, and shoreline details are organized with clarity, allowing the viewer to read the island not merely as a destination, but as a landscape shaped by geology, weather, and human use. The muted color palette—soft, practical, and understated—lends the map a refined visual character while preserving the authority of its topographical purpose. Each contour and symbol contributes to a broader understanding of Nantucket’s low relief, sandy terrain, coastal ponds, and exposed headlands.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNantucket Harbor occupies a central place in the map’s geography and history, recalling the island’s long association with whaling, shipping, fishing, and coastal navigation. Brant Point, guarding the entrance to the harbor, appears as one of the island’s key maritime landmarks, while the town of Nantucket is shown as the principal settlement, its streets and routes gathered near the sheltered waters that sustained its prosperity. Farther west, Madaket marks the island’s more remote edge, facing tidal currents and open water. To the south, Surfside and Cisco Beach evoke a landscape of dunes, beaches, and Atlantic exposure, where recreation and natural forces meet along a shifting shoreline.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe eastern and northeastern reaches of the island are equally evocative. Sconset, or Siasconset, appears near the open Atlantic, a village long admired for its cottages, bluffside setting, and distinctive separation from the busier harbor town. Great Point extends toward Nantucket Sound, a narrow and dramatic coastal projection associated with navigation, wildlife, and the hazards of shoal water. Polpis, Tom Nevers, Miacomet, Hummock Pond, and The Ram Pasture enrich the map with names that preserve layers of local history, ecology, and settlement. These places reveal Nantucket as a mosaic of pastureland, ponds, beaches, heaths, and small communities rather than a single compact town.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs a 1945 topographical document, this map records Nantucket before many later patterns of development, conservation, tourism, and landscape change transformed the island’s appearance and use. Its roads and trails trace the practical routes of an insular community, while its ponds, marshes, beaches, and contours testify to a fragile coastal environment continually shaped by wind, erosion, tides, and storms. Nautical associations are implicit throughout, from harbor approaches and coastal points to the surrounding expanse of Nantucket Sound and the Atlantic. The result is a richly informative portrait of place: a scientific map that also evokes isolation, seafaring memory, and the enduring allure of one of Massachusetts’ most recognizable islands.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eCities, towns and places on this map\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNantucket\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNantucket Harbor\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMadaket\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSconset (Sconset Village)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSurfside\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBrant Point\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGreat Point\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCisco Beach\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMiacomet\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePolpis\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTom Nevers\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Ram Pasture\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHummock Pond\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNantucket Sound\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAtlantic Ocean\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNumerous roads and trails\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLandmarks associated with nautical navigation\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 United States Geological Survey (USGS).\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHistorical topographical map at a scale of 1:31,680.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDated 1945.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eShows Nantucket, Massachusetts, and the surrounding area.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUses a muted color palette with soft pastels to highlight topographical features.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIncludes detailed road and contour lines to show terrain and elevation changes.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDepicts landforms, natural features, and varying elevations across the island.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eReflects the geography and development of Nantucket in the mid-20th century.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eProvides a record of the island before later changes in land use, urban development, and natural landscapes.\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":58800758456704,"sku":null,"price":39.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":58800758489472,"sku":null,"price":105.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed canvas map","offer_id":58800758522240,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Map","offer_id":58800758555008,"sku":null,"price":39.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":58800758587776,"sku":null,"price":105.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed canvas 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