Personalized Old Map (USA) - Make Your Own 1800s and 1900s USGS Topo Zipcode Map

This is a fully personalized map of your hometown, street or zipcode, with your house (or someone else's!) focused in the middle of the map.

Your map will be custom-made to order from real US Topo maps originally published by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

My personalised maps are perfect as birthday, housewarming and anniversary gifts. (And of course, as they're printed on paper, you would get bonus points for giving one of these maps for a paper wedding anniversary!)

Please note that these personalised maps are only available for locations in the 50 states of the United States of America, including Alaska.

I have a separate product if you're looking for a personalised map of England, Wales and Scotland.

Or for something completely different, check out my personalised modern maps.

How to order a personalised map of the US

You need to tell me three things when you order: an address to focus the map on, a preferred age of the map, and optionally an accent colour.

The U.S. Geological Survey started mapping the country at the end of the 1800s, and continues to map the country today. For most locations, I can make a personalised map dating back to around 1890 or 1900, all the way up until the latest maps published in 2019. If you don't pick a decade, I will try to find the oldest map that has your house on it.

My default accent colour is black, but if you would like another colour, let me know. Most dark colours look good. Lighter colours can fade into the beige paper a bit.

If you'd rather not have your address at the bottom, or if you'd like a pointer or marker to highlight your house, please say so in the text box.

A variety of sizes are available, all the way from 8x10 inches (20x25cm) up to a map that is a few metres wide. No matter what size you order, the text and map will be sharp and readable.

If you would like different customisation or personalisation, please get in touch before you order. I have been customising maps for decades and can do almost anything you can imagine to make your map truly unique. Likewise, if you're looking for a very large or complex map, get in touch and I'll try my best to accommodate your needs.

The model in the listing images is holding the 24x18 inch (60x45cm) version of this map.

This would make a wonderful birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, work leaving or housewarming gift for anyone who is looking for something more personal.

During very busy periods, such as Christmas, we may not have time to send you a draft of your personalised order. This is because we want to get everyone’s order sent out in time, and the approval process can delay delivery by 1-2 days. Contact me if you must see a draft of your order before we send it out and we’ll do our best to accommodate you.

This map is available as a giclée print on acid free archival matte paper, or you can buy it framed. The frame is a nice, simple black frame that suits most aesthetics. Please get in touch if you'd like a different frame colour or material. My frames are glazed with super-clear museum-grade acrylic (perspex/acrylite), which is significantly less reflective than glass, safer, and will always arrive in perfect condition.

For most orders, delivery time is about 3 working days. Personalised and customised products take longer, as I have to do the personalisation and send it to you for approval, which usually takes 1 or 2 days.

Please note that very large framed orders usually take longer to make and deliver. 

If you need your order to arrive by a certain date, please contact me before you order so that we can find the best way of making sure you get your order in time.

I print and frame maps and artwork in 23 countries around the world. This means your order will be made locally, which cuts down on delivery time and ensures that it won't be damaged during delivery. You'll never pay customs or import duty, and we'll put less CO2 into the air.

All of my maps and art prints are well packaged and sent in a rugged tube if unframed, or surrounded by foam if framed.

I try to send out all orders within 1 or 2 days of receiving your order, though some products (like face masks, mugs and tote bags) can take longer to make.

If you select Express Delivery at checkout your order we will prioritise your order and send it out by 1-day courier (Fedex, DHL, UPS, Parcelforce).

Next Day delivery is also available in some countries (US, UK, Singapore, UAE) but please try to order early in the day so that we can get it sent out on time.

Read my full delivery and local production guide

My standard frame is a gallery style black ash hardwood frame. It is simple and quite modern looking. My standard frame is around 20mm (0.8in) wide.

I use super-clear acrylic (perspex/acrylite) for the frame glass. It's lighter and safer than glass - and it looks better, as the reflectivity is lower.

Six standard frame colours are available for free (black, dark brown, dark grey, oak, white and antique gold). Custom framing and mounting/matting is available if you're looking for something else.

Most maps, art and illustrations are also available as a framed canvas. We use matte (not shiny) cotton canvas, stretch it over a sustainably sourced box wood frame, and then 'float' the piece within a wood frame. The end result is quite beautiful, and there's no glazing to get in the way.

All frames are provided "ready to hang", with either a string or brackets on the back. Very large frames will have heavy duty hanging plates and/or a mounting baton. If you have any questions, please get in touch.

See some examples of my framed maps and framed canvas maps.

Alternatively, I can also supply old maps and artwork on canvas, foam board, cotton rag and other materials.

If you want to frame your map or artwork yourself, please read my size guide first.

My maps are extremely high quality reproductions of original maps.

I source original, rare maps from libraries, auction houses and private collections around the world, restore them at my London workshop, and then use specialist giclée inks and printers to create beautiful maps that look even better than the original.

My maps are printed on acid-free archival matte (not glossy) paper that feels very high quality and almost like card. In technical terms the paper weight/thickness is 10mil/200gsm. It's perfect for framing.

I print with Epson ultrachrome giclée UV fade resistant pigment inks - some of the best inks you can find.

I can also make maps on canvas, cotton rag and other exotic materials.

Learn more about The Unique Maps Co.

Map personalisation

If you're looking for the perfect anniversary or housewarming gift, I can personalise your map to make it truly unique. For example, I can add a short message, or highlight an important location, or add your family's coat of arms.

The options are almost infinite. Please see my map personalisation page for some wonderful examples of what's possible.

To order a personalised map, select "personalise your map" before adding it to your basket.

Get in touch if you're looking for more complex customisations and personalisations.

Map ageing

I have been asked hundreds of times over the years by customers if they could buy a map that looks even older.

Well, now you can, by selecting Aged before you add a map to your basket.

All the product photos you see on this page show the map in its Original form. This is what the map looks like today.

If you select Aged, I will age your map by hand, using a special and unique process developed through years of studying old maps, talking to researchers to understand the chemistry of aging paper, and of course... lots of practice!

If you're unsure, stick to the Original colour of the map. If you want something a bit darker and older looking, go for Aged.

See some amazing examples of Aged maps.

If you are not happy with your order for any reason, contact me for a no-quibble refund.

I am very confident you will like your restored map or art print. I have been doing this since 1984. I'm a 5-star Etsy seller. I have sold tens of thousands of maps and art prints and have over 4,000 real 5-star reviews.

I use a unique process to restore maps and artwork that is massively time consuming and labour intensive. Hunting down the original maps and illustrations can take months. I use state of the art and eye-wateringly expensive technology to scan and restore them. As a result, I guarantee my maps and art prints are a cut above the rest - that's why I can offer a no-quibble refund.

Almost all of my maps and art prints look amazing at large sizes (200cm, 6.5ft+) and I can frame and deliver them to you as well, via special oversized courier. Contact me to discuss your specific needs.