{"product_id":"old-map-of-cape-elizabeth-maine-by-usgs-1944-casco-bay-richmond-island-portland-head-lighthouse","title":"Old Map of Cape Elizabeth, Maine by USGS, 1944 – Casco Bay, Richmond Island \u0026 Portland Head Lighthouse","description":"\u003cp\u003eTitled “Cape Elizabeth,” this 1944 United States Geological Survey map presents one of Maine’s most evocative coastal landscapes at the height of the Second World War. Drawn at the precise 1:24,000 scale, it captures the town of Cape Elizabeth and its surrounding shores with the disciplined clarity for which USGS quadrangles are renowned. The map situates this headland between Casco Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, where coves, ponds, rocky margins, roads, and settled neighborhoods form a finely observed portrait of place. In 1944, such mapping carried particular importance: accurate coastal topography supported navigation, infrastructure planning, and wartime readiness along the northeastern seaboard, where harbors, islands, and promontories held strategic significance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe US Geological Survey, established in the late nineteenth century, became the nation’s preeminent authority on systematic mapping, geology, hydrology, and land classification. By the 1940s, its topographic sheets had achieved a distinctive visual language: measured, understated, and intensely practical, yet capable of conveying a remarkable sense of landscape. On this Cape Elizabeth quadrangle, contour lines translate the area’s modest hills, low ridges, coastal slopes, and inland depressions into a legible relief model. Color distinguishes land from water, while roads, trails, shorelines, and settlement patterns are rendered with the economical precision typical of mid-century USGS design. The result is both a technical document and a quietly beautiful study of Maine’s coastal terrain.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCape Elizabeth itself occupies a storied position at the southern entrance to Casco Bay, guarding approaches to Portland and the open Atlantic beyond. The map records the geography of a peninsula shaped by tide, weather, and maritime use, with Pond Cove, Great Pond, and the surrounding shorelines offering clues to the area’s natural character. Portland Head, associated with the famous lighthouse at the mouth of Portland Harbor, evokes the long history of coastal navigation in this region. Even where the map is primarily topographical, it suggests a lived landscape: roads leading between neighborhoods, paths crossing open ground, and coastal features that would have mattered to fishermen, residents, travelers, and military planners alike.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRichmond Island, shown just offshore, adds another layer of historical resonance. Long before modern development reshaped parts of the Maine coast, islands such as Richmond served as landmarks, fishing stations, seasonal settlements, and maritime reference points. Its presence on the map emphasizes the relationship between Cape Elizabeth and the surrounding waters of Casco Bay, a seascape dotted with islands and defined by channels, shoals, and exposed Atlantic edges. The shoreline detail is especially compelling, revealing how inlets, beaches, ponds, and rocky projections knit together the coastal environment. For collectors, this is the kind of map that rewards close looking: each contour, road, and waterline contributes to a larger portrait of place.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSince 1944, Cape Elizabeth has experienced the pressures familiar to many desirable coastal communities: residential growth, changing land use, conservation efforts, and evolving relationships between town, shore, and open space. This map preserves an earlier moment in that transformation, before later suburban expansion and environmental change altered the balance between settlement and landscape. Its appeal lies not only in its cartographic accuracy, but in its ability to reveal historical geography with unusual intimacy. The viewer can trace roads, locate ponds and coves, follow the contours toward the sea, and imagine the wartime coast as surveyors recorded it. As a document of Maine, maritime New England, and USGS craftsmanship, “Cape Elizabeth” is richly evocative.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eCities, towns and places on this map\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCape Elizabeth\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCasco Bay\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAtlantic Ocean\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRichmond Island\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePond Cove\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGreat Pond\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNearby roads and trails\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePortland Head\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLocal neighborhoods and settlements marked within the region\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eHistorical context \u0026amp; cartographic details\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHistorical 1:24,000 topographical map of Cape Elizabeth, Maine and the surrounding area\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eProduced by the US Geological Survey\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDated 1944, with no separate imprint year specified\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eShows Cape Elizabeth, Casco Bay, the Atlantic Ocean, and nearby islands including Richmond Island\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUses a topographical style with contour lines to show elevation changes\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIncludes color coding to differentiate land and water areas, typical of USGS maps from this period\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDetailed contour lines show elevation, relief, hills, and valleys\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eReflects an area that has since changed through urban development, environmental change, and shifting land use\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=\"\/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=\"\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003eget in touch\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe model in the listing images is holding the 18x24in (45x60cm) 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=\"\/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=\"\/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":68128575422855,"sku":null,"price":39.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":68128575455623,"sku":null,"price":105.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed canvas map","offer_id":68128575488391,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Map","offer_id":68128575521159,"sku":null,"price":39.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":68128575553927,"sku":null,"price":105.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed canvas 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