Rare Old Map of Warm Springs, Virginia by USGS, 1923: Cowpasture River, Millboro & Greenbrier River
Restored in our London workshop from the original map and printed to museum-grade archival standards. Full description
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.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
Map size guide
In general, maps look better at larger sizes, particularly maps with a lot of details. Because every order is handmade, custom sizing is available: select 'custom size' on the product page and fill in the dimensions, or put it in your order notes on the checkout screen.
The map covers the entire piece of paper, for every available size. There are no white edges. The map will look exactly like in the product photos. If you want some 'extra space' around the map, please contact me or put it in your order notes.
To help you pick the right size, here are some of my 'standard' map sizes next to each other, in portrait and landscape orientation.
| 16x12in (40x30cm) | 20x16in (50x40cm) | 24x18in (60x45cm) |
36x24in (90x60cm) |
| 12x16in (30x40cm) | 16x20in (40x50cm) | 18x24in (45x60cm) |
24x36in (60x90cm) |
Buying framed maps
Our standard frames add about 2cm (0.75in) to each side of the map. So, a 45x60cm map would be 49x64cm when framed, or a 24x36in map would be 25.5x37.5in.
Larger maps over 125cm/50in usually have wider frames, and custom framing is available if you're looking for a specific frame width or style
Buying unframed maps
If you buy an unframed old map from me, and plan to frame it yourself, please read this page for important information about framing your map.
General size guidelines
Generally, the size you see on the shop is exactly accurate.
So, for example, if you buy an 18x24 inch map, you should buy a frame that 'fits artwork' that is 18x24 inches. If you order a 60x90cm map, you should buy a frame that 'fits artwork' that is 60x90cm.
If you see a map that is an unusual size, such as 24x11 inches (or 61x29cm), I strongly recommend you wait for the map to arrive before making or ordering a frame online. These maps can vary in size by a few millimetres, and it's very frustrating if they don't fit into your frame!
If you need a map that is an exact size in centimetres or inches, please contact me. For larger maps over 50in/125cm I can customise the size free of charge.
Large maps
If you are framing the map yourself, please order the map and wait for it to arrive. Then measure the map and order a frame to fit.
If you are taking your map to a local framer, they will measure the map for you and then make the frame to fit.
For larger maps, please make sure you stick them in properly or they will become wavy and bubbly after a short time. Alternatively, we would be happy to frame it for you!
Gift message & custom finish
If you want to add a gift message, or a finish (jigsaw, aluminium board, etc.) that is not available here, please request it in the "order note" when you check out.
Every order is custom made, so if you need the size adjusted slightly, or printed on an unusual material, just let us know. We've done thousands of custom orders over the years, so there's (almost) nothing we can't manage.
You can also contact us before you order, if you prefer!
Own a piece of history
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The 1923 U.S. Geological Survey map titled “Warm Springs” presents a finely observed portrait of the Virginia highlands around Warm Springs at...
Continue readingThe 1923 U.S. Geological Survey map titled “Warm Springs” presents a finely observed portrait of the Virginia highlands around Warm Springs at a moment when federal topographic mapping was becoming indispensable to modern land management. Issued as a historical 1:48,000 topographical sheet, it captures the district’s ridges, valleys, waterways, and settlements with the restrained authority characteristic of the USGS. The “Advance” designation adds particular interest, suggesting a practical, early-use edition intended to circulate geographic knowledge efficiently. Warm Springs itself anchors the sheet, a place long associated with mineral waters and mountain retreat, while the surrounding terrain reveals the complex folds and drainage patterns of the Allegheny landscape.
The U.S. Geological Survey brought a scientific discipline to American mapmaking that transformed how landscapes were understood, administered, and developed. Rather than emphasizing ornament, this map relies on clarity: contour lines, measured intervals, and a subdued beige ground that allows the brown terrain modeling to stand out with exceptional legibility. The result is quietly elegant—an image in which technical precision becomes a form of beauty. Every ridge crest and hollow is given shape through contouring, enabling the viewer to read elevation as if the land were rising from the page. It is a map made for use, but also one that rewards close visual attention.
The topographic character of the Warm Springs region is the map’s central drama. Horeb Mountain, Hogback Mountain, Mountain Top, and Smith’s Gap mark a landscape of pronounced relief, where travel and settlement were shaped by the demands of slope, pass, and stream valley. The Cowpasture River, Greenbrier River, Little River, and South Fork Potomac River belong to a wider web of Appalachian drainage, their courses threading between ridges and revealing natural corridors through difficult country. Smaller streams such as Wiggins Creek, Laurel Run, and Mill Run give the map a dense hydrological texture, showing how water organized both the terrain and the lives of those who occupied it.
Settlements and named localities appear sparingly but meaningfully across the sheet, giving human scale to the mountain geography. Warm Springs, Millboro, Durbin, Cold Spring, and Mountain Top are not presented as urban centers so much as footholds in a rugged environment, positioned in relation to valleys, roads, waterways, and passes. Their placement hints at patterns of rural life in the early twentieth century, when communities depended on accessible routes through mountainous land and proximity to dependable water sources. The map makes clear that geography was not a backdrop but an active force, determining where farms, mills, springs, and settlements could prosper.
As a historical document, “Warm Springs” offers a compelling view of western Virginia before later waves of infrastructural expansion, tourism development, and land-use change further altered the region. Its value lies not only in identifying places, but in preserving relationships: between ridgeline and river, settlement and gap, mountain slope and cultivated valley. The USGS style gives these relationships enduring authority, turning the landscape into a readable archive of elevation, access, and natural constraint. For collectors of Appalachian, Virginian, or federal survey cartography, this map is especially evocative: a measured, elegant record of a distinctive mountain district at a precise early-twentieth-century moment.
Cities, towns and places on this map
- Warm Springs
- Mountain Top
- Cowpasture River
- Durbin
- Greenbrier River
- Horeb Mountain
- Millboro
- Smith's Gap
- Hogback Mountain
- Cold Spring
- Wiggins Creek
- Little River
- Laurel Run
- Mill Run
- South Fork Potomac River
Historical context & cartographic details
- Produced by the U.S. Geological Survey
- Historical 1:48,000 topographical map
- Dated 1923
- Special feature: Advance
- Shows Warm Springs, Virginia and the surrounding area
- Features contour lines to show elevation changes
- Uses a warm beige background to enhance the visibility of brown terrain details
- Illustrates the mountainous terrain and varied elevations of the region
- Provides an early 20th-century geographic record of the area’s landscape and development patterns
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.
The 1923 U.S. Geological Survey map titled “Warm Springs” presents a finely observed portrait of the Virginia highlands around Warm Springs at a moment when federal topographic mapping was becoming indispensable to modern land management. Issued as a historical 1:48,000 topographical sheet, it captures the district’s ridges, valleys, waterways, and settlements with the restrained authority characteristic of the USGS. The “Advance” designation adds particular interest, suggesting a practical, early-use edition intended to circulate geographic knowledge efficiently. Warm Springs itself anchors the sheet, a place long associated with mineral waters and mountain retreat, while the surrounding terrain reveals the complex folds and drainage patterns of the Allegheny landscape.
The U.S. Geological Survey brought a scientific discipline to American mapmaking that transformed how landscapes were understood, administered, and developed. Rather than emphasizing ornament, this map relies on clarity: contour lines, measured intervals, and a subdued beige ground that allows the brown terrain modeling to stand out with exceptional legibility. The result is quietly elegant—an image in which technical precision becomes a form of beauty. Every ridge crest and hollow is given shape through contouring, enabling the viewer to read elevation as if the land were rising from the page. It is a map made for use, but also one that rewards close visual attention.
The topographic character of the Warm Springs region is the map’s central drama. Horeb Mountain, Hogback Mountain, Mountain Top, and Smith’s Gap mark a landscape of pronounced relief, where travel and settlement were shaped by the demands of slope, pass, and stream valley. The Cowpasture River, Greenbrier River, Little River, and South Fork Potomac River belong to a wider web of Appalachian drainage, their courses threading between ridges and revealing natural corridors through difficult country. Smaller streams such as Wiggins Creek, Laurel Run, and Mill Run give the map a dense hydrological texture, showing how water organized both the terrain and the lives of those who occupied it.
Settlements and named localities appear sparingly but meaningfully across the sheet, giving human scale to the mountain geography. Warm Springs, Millboro, Durbin, Cold Spring, and Mountain Top are not presented as urban centers so much as footholds in a rugged environment, positioned in relation to valleys, roads, waterways, and passes. Their placement hints at patterns of rural life in the early twentieth century, when communities depended on accessible routes through mountainous land and proximity to dependable water sources. The map makes clear that geography was not a backdrop but an active force, determining where farms, mills, springs, and settlements could prosper.
As a historical document, “Warm Springs” offers a compelling view of western Virginia before later waves of infrastructural expansion, tourism development, and land-use change further altered the region. Its value lies not only in identifying places, but in preserving relationships: between ridgeline and river, settlement and gap, mountain slope and cultivated valley. The USGS style gives these relationships enduring authority, turning the landscape into a readable archive of elevation, access, and natural constraint. For collectors of Appalachian, Virginian, or federal survey cartography, this map is especially evocative: a measured, elegant record of a distinctive mountain district at a precise early-twentieth-century moment.
Cities, towns and places on this map
- Warm Springs
- Mountain Top
- Cowpasture River
- Durbin
- Greenbrier River
- Horeb Mountain
- Millboro
- Smith's Gap
- Hogback Mountain
- Cold Spring
- Wiggins Creek
- Little River
- Laurel Run
- Mill Run
- South Fork Potomac River
Historical context & cartographic details
- Produced by the U.S. Geological Survey
- Historical 1:48,000 topographical map
- Dated 1923
- Special feature: Advance
- Shows Warm Springs, Virginia and the surrounding area
- Features contour lines to show elevation changes
- Uses a warm beige background to enhance the visibility of brown terrain details
- Illustrates the mountainous terrain and varied elevations of the region
- Provides an early 20th-century geographic record of the area’s landscape and development patterns
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.
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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