Rare Old Map of Apalachicola, Florida by USGS, 1943: Eastpoint, St. George Island & Apalachicola Bay
Restored in our London workshop from the original map and printed to museum-grade archival standards. Full description
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Choose two eligible works and receive 20% off both. Choose three and the lowest-priced one is complimentary, a maximum saving of 33%.
Mix and match eligible standard maps and fine-art prints. No code is required; the offer is applied automatically at checkout.
Standard made-to-order configurations are included. Bespoke sizes, personalised designs and commissioned work are excluded.
Need delivery to different addresses? Contact us before ordering.The Collector’s Offer
Choose two eligible works and receive 20% off both. Choose three and the lowest-priced one is complimentary, a maximum saving of 33%.
Mix and match eligible standard maps and fine-art prints. No code is required; the offer is applied automatically at checkout.
Standard made-to-order configurations are included. Bespoke sizes, personalised designs and commissioned work are excluded.
Need delivery to different addresses? Contact us before ordering.
Restored in London • Printed and framed in the UK
My maps are rare, museum-grade, restored old maps sourced from libraries, auction houses and private collections across the globe. Full description
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Published in 1943 by the United States Geological Survey, “Apalachicola” presents Florida’s Gulf Coast at the detailed 1:31,680 scale, capturing the meeting...
Continue readingPublished in 1943 by the United States Geological Survey, “Apalachicola” presents Florida’s Gulf Coast at the detailed 1:31,680 scale, capturing the meeting of river, bay, barrier island, and open sea. The map centers on Apalachicola, a storied port at the mouth of the Apalachicola River system, long associated with timber, shipping, and the oyster fisheries that made its bay famous. Its wartime date gives the sheet particular resonance: it records roads, railways, shorelines, settlements, and working waterfronts at a moment when coastal geography held strategic as well as economic importance. The result is both a technical survey and a historical portrait of a community shaped by tides, commerce, and the abundant estuarine waters of Apalachicola Bay.
The USGS style is immediately recognizable: precise, restrained, and deeply informative. A clear grid system aids orientation, while contour lines and shaded relief translate the low, subtle topography of the Florida Panhandle into a legible visual language. In a coastal landscape where elevation changes are often slight but consequential, such details matter; marsh margins, riverbanks, ridges, roads, and settlement patterns emerge with quiet authority. The map’s topographic treatment reveals not dramatic mountains but the delicate gradations of coastal terrain, where land slowly yields to bay, creek, and gulf. This is cartography designed for use, yet its disciplined composition gives it an austere elegance prized by collectors of American survey mapping.
Apalachicola Bay dominates the geography, its protected waters framed by the mainland and the long barrier form of St. George Island. Eastpoint appears along the bay’s northern shore, positioned within the network of fishing, ferrying, and coastal travel that connected communities across Franklin County. Offshore, the Gulf of Mexico opens beyond the island, while small islands, shoals, channels, and waterways speak to the complexity of navigation in this estuarine environment. The map’s attention to bay features is especially compelling, reflecting an area where livelihoods depended on reading water as carefully as land. Oyster bars, tidal passages, and sheltered reaches formed the environmental foundation for one of America’s most celebrated seafood regions.
Inland and eastward, the sheet situates Apalachicola within a broader regional web that includes Carrabelle, Bay Bay, the Chipola River system, and the roads and railways threading through the coastal plain. These transportation lines are more than incidental markings: they show how timber, seafood, supplies, and people moved through a landscape often defined by wetlands and waterways. The 1943 date places these networks in the context of World War II-era infrastructure, when rail connections, port access, and coastal roads carried heightened importance. Seen today, the map offers a valuable record of development before later expansion, preserving the footprint of settlements and routes at a pivotal moment in the region’s twentieth-century transformation.
The natural world shown here is equally significant. The marshes, islands, bays, and river mouths surrounding Apalachicola would later be recognized as part of one of the most ecologically important estuarine landscapes in the United States, including areas now associated with the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve. The map predates that modern conservation language, but it documents the same intricate environment: brackish waters, coastal flats, barrier island systems, and the river-fed bay that sustains extraordinary biodiversity. Its careful notation of landforms and waterways allows the viewer to trace the relationship between human settlement and coastal ecology. As a historical map, it is both a practical survey and a quietly powerful record of a living Gulf Coast landscape.
Cities, towns and places on this map
- Apalachicola
- Eastpoint
- St. George Island
- Gulf of Mexico
- Bay Bay
- Carrabelle
- Apalachicola Bay
- Chipola River
- Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve
- Various roads and railways throughout the area
- Franklin County parks and coastal features
- Small islands and waterways noted in the bay area
Historical context & cartographic details
- Produced by the United States Geological Survey, this historical topographical map is dated 1943.
- The map is drawn at a scale of 1:31,680.
- Published by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), a federal agency known for mapping and assessing the natural resources and natural hazards of the United States.
- Shows Apalachicola and the surrounding area in Florida during the World War II era.
- Provides insight into the geographic and infrastructural development of the region in the early 1940s.
- Highlights Apalachicola’s coastal setting and its historical association with seafood production, especially oysters.
- Uses a grid system for orientation, typical of USGS topographical maps.
- Includes shaded relief to show elevation and landform variation.
- Features detailed contour lines representing changes in elevation across coastal and bay terrain.
- Documents roads, railways, settlement patterns, and land-use features from the period.
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.
Published in 1943 by the United States Geological Survey, “Apalachicola” presents Florida’s Gulf Coast at the detailed 1:31,680 scale, capturing the meeting of river, bay, barrier island, and open sea. The map centers on Apalachicola, a storied port at the mouth of the Apalachicola River system, long associated with timber, shipping, and the oyster fisheries that made its bay famous. Its wartime date gives the sheet particular resonance: it records roads, railways, shorelines, settlements, and working waterfronts at a moment when coastal geography held strategic as well as economic importance. The result is both a technical survey and a historical portrait of a community shaped by tides, commerce, and the abundant estuarine waters of Apalachicola Bay.
The USGS style is immediately recognizable: precise, restrained, and deeply informative. A clear grid system aids orientation, while contour lines and shaded relief translate the low, subtle topography of the Florida Panhandle into a legible visual language. In a coastal landscape where elevation changes are often slight but consequential, such details matter; marsh margins, riverbanks, ridges, roads, and settlement patterns emerge with quiet authority. The map’s topographic treatment reveals not dramatic mountains but the delicate gradations of coastal terrain, where land slowly yields to bay, creek, and gulf. This is cartography designed for use, yet its disciplined composition gives it an austere elegance prized by collectors of American survey mapping.
Apalachicola Bay dominates the geography, its protected waters framed by the mainland and the long barrier form of St. George Island. Eastpoint appears along the bay’s northern shore, positioned within the network of fishing, ferrying, and coastal travel that connected communities across Franklin County. Offshore, the Gulf of Mexico opens beyond the island, while small islands, shoals, channels, and waterways speak to the complexity of navigation in this estuarine environment. The map’s attention to bay features is especially compelling, reflecting an area where livelihoods depended on reading water as carefully as land. Oyster bars, tidal passages, and sheltered reaches formed the environmental foundation for one of America’s most celebrated seafood regions.
Inland and eastward, the sheet situates Apalachicola within a broader regional web that includes Carrabelle, Bay Bay, the Chipola River system, and the roads and railways threading through the coastal plain. These transportation lines are more than incidental markings: they show how timber, seafood, supplies, and people moved through a landscape often defined by wetlands and waterways. The 1943 date places these networks in the context of World War II-era infrastructure, when rail connections, port access, and coastal roads carried heightened importance. Seen today, the map offers a valuable record of development before later expansion, preserving the footprint of settlements and routes at a pivotal moment in the region’s twentieth-century transformation.
The natural world shown here is equally significant. The marshes, islands, bays, and river mouths surrounding Apalachicola would later be recognized as part of one of the most ecologically important estuarine landscapes in the United States, including areas now associated with the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve. The map predates that modern conservation language, but it documents the same intricate environment: brackish waters, coastal flats, barrier island systems, and the river-fed bay that sustains extraordinary biodiversity. Its careful notation of landforms and waterways allows the viewer to trace the relationship between human settlement and coastal ecology. As a historical map, it is both a practical survey and a quietly powerful record of a living Gulf Coast landscape.
Cities, towns and places on this map
- Apalachicola
- Eastpoint
- St. George Island
- Gulf of Mexico
- Bay Bay
- Carrabelle
- Apalachicola Bay
- Chipola River
- Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve
- Various roads and railways throughout the area
- Franklin County parks and coastal features
- Small islands and waterways noted in the bay area
Historical context & cartographic details
- Produced by the United States Geological Survey, this historical topographical map is dated 1943.
- The map is drawn at a scale of 1:31,680.
- Published by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), a federal agency known for mapping and assessing the natural resources and natural hazards of the United States.
- Shows Apalachicola and the surrounding area in Florida during the World War II era.
- Provides insight into the geographic and infrastructural development of the region in the early 1940s.
- Highlights Apalachicola’s coastal setting and its historical association with seafood production, especially oysters.
- Uses a grid system for orientation, typical of USGS topographical maps.
- Includes shaded relief to show elevation and landform variation.
- Features detailed contour lines representing changes in elevation across coastal and bay terrain.
- Documents roads, railways, settlement patterns, and land-use features from the period.
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.
Many of our maps and art prints are chosen as thoughtful gifts for homes, offices, studies and meaningful places.
Choose a framed option for the easiest ready-to-hang gift, or choose an unframed print if the recipient may prefer to select their own frame.
We make orders locally in 23 countries around the world, so gifts can often be produced close to the recipient. This helps them arrive faster, travel more safely, and avoid customs or import duty surprises.
- We can deliver directly to the recipient
- Framed pieces arrive ready to hang
- Unframed prints are carefully packed in a strong protective tube
- Almost every order is made locally, for faster, safer gifting
- 90-day returns give the recipient time to decide
If you are not sure what to choose, please contact us. We can help you pick the right map, size, finish or delivery option.
Most orders are made locally and delivered in around 2–3 working days, depending on the product, size and destination.
We print and frame maps and artwork in 23 countries around the world, so your order is usually made close to you or your recipient. That means faster delivery, less time in transit, and no customs or import duty surprises.
Personalised and customised pieces usually take an extra 1–2 working days, because we prepare your design and send it to you for approval before printing.
Very large framed orders can take a little longer, as they need extra care in production and delivery.
Every order is carefully packaged: unframed prints are sent in a strong protective tube, while framed pieces are securely packed with protective materials around the frame.
If you need your order by a particular date, please contact us before ordering. We’ll check the best production route and delivery option for your location.
Express delivery is available at checkout for most countries. Next-day delivery is available in the UK, US, Singapore and the UAE.
Your order is covered by our 90-day returns policy and 10-year guarantee.
Our standard frame is a gallery-style black ash hardwood frame, with a simple, modern look. It is approximately 20mm (0.8in) wide. You can also view some lovely customer photos of framed maps and art.
We use super-clear acrylic glazing, also known as Perspex or Acrylite, instead of traditional glass. It is lighter, safer, and has lower reflectivity, giving the artwork a clearer, cleaner appearance.
Six standard frame colours are available at no extra cost: black, dark brown, dark grey, oak, white, and antique gold. Custom framing and mounting/matting is also available for customers looking for something more specific.
Most maps, art prints, and illustrations are also available as a framed canvas. We use matte cotton canvas, stretch it over a sustainably sourced wooden box frame, and then float the piece within a wooden outer frame. The finished result is beautifully presented, with no glazing between you and the artwork.
All frames are supplied ready to hang, with either string or brackets fitted to the back. Very large frames will include heavy-duty hanging plates and/or a mounting baton. If you have any questions, please get in touch.
We can also supply old maps and artwork on canvas, foam board, cotton rag, and other materials.
If you would prefer to frame your map or artwork yourself, please read our size guide before ordering.
We work with interior designers, hospitality businesses, property professionals, offices and corporate buyers on individual pieces and larger coordinated projects.
This map can be adapted for a particular wall, room or project, and our workshop can help coordinate the dimensions, material and framing before production.
- Exact, oversized and made-to-measure dimensions
- Custom framing, mounting and alternative materials
- Coordinated pieces for several rooms or locations
- Map personalisation, to mark important locations or add extra details
- Map and framing guidance from our workshop
- Local production for projects around the world
Every Unique Maps piece begins with an authentic cartographic source or an original design from our London studio.
For our historic maps, we source rare originals from libraries, archives, auction houses and private collections around the world. We carefully restore each map for print—repairing age-related damage, balancing colour and improving clarity while preserving its original detail, texture and character.
Once restored, the map is prepared for your chosen size and finish. Your piece is then printed and, where selected, framed close to its delivery destination.
Our map prints use acid-free 200gsm archival matte paper and fade-resistant pigment inks, creating a rich, non-glossy finish designed to last. Framed maps use crystal-clear optical acrylic and arrive ready to hang.
Canvas, cotton-rag and other specialist presentations are also available. Learn more about our materials and finishes.
Personalising your map
You can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. For personalised designs, we send a proof before printing and you can request changes before approval.
For more complex bespoke commissions, contact our design team.
Original or Aged
Choose Original for true-to-source colour, or Aged for a warmer, richer antique character created with our specialist ageing process. See examples of our Aged maps.
We’ve been restoring and producing maps and art prints since 1984, and we stand behind every piece.
Every order is covered by our 10-year guarantee and damage-free delivery guarantee. If your piece arrives damaged, we’ll replace or remake it free of charge. If anything else isn’t right, contact our workshop team and we’ll put it right promptly.
See our returns and refund policy for full details.
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