Titled simply “Mayport,” this US Geological Survey topographical map was published in 1932 using survey data gathered in 1918, preserving Florida’s northeastern coast at a moment before its dramatic modern transformation. At a scale of 1:62,500, it presents the Atlantic shore around Mayport, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, and Jacksonville Beach with the disciplined clarity for which the USGS became renowned. The map captures a landscape still defined by waterways, sand ridges, creeks, inlets, and sparse settlement, rather than the dense residential and resort development that would later reshape the beaches. Its combination of coastal detail and inland topography makes it a fascinating document of the Jacksonville area’s early twentieth-century geography.

The US Geological Survey brought scientific rigor and national ambition to maps such as this, creating a standardized visual language for American terrain. In “Mayport,” that language is especially effective: blue waterways stand out against the land, while hachures and topographic markings articulate subtle elevation changes in a region where even modest rises could matter. The result is not merely a navigational aid, but a carefully observed portrait of a low coastal environment. Rivers, sounds, tidal channels, and oceanfront settlements are rendered with precision, revealing how the area’s human geography depended on its natural framework. The map shows a coast shaped as much by water as by land.

The St. Johns River dominates the western and northern portions of the mapped landscape, widening toward its meeting with the Atlantic near Mayport. Nearby, Fort George Inlet and Nassau Sound mark the complexity of the coast, where barrier islands, marshlands, and tidal passages create a shifting edge between ocean and interior waterways. Pablo Creek and the route later associated with the Intracoastal Waterway underscore the importance of protected channels for travel, commerce, and local settlement. Before the beach communities became closely woven into metropolitan Jacksonville, this watery geography structured movement and development. The map makes clear why ferries, bridges, roads, and shoreline access were decisive forces in the area’s growth.

Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, and Jacksonville Beach appear here in an earlier phase of their evolution, when the Florida shore was being steadily reimagined as a place of leisure, residence, and regional connection. Roads and early highways trace the beginnings of the transportation network that would draw more people eastward from Jacksonville toward the ocean. Beach Boulevard, now a major corridor, belongs to the broader story of that movement from inland city to coastal suburb and resort. Viewed today, the map offers a striking contrast between the comparatively open coastal landscape of the early twentieth century and the heavily developed beachfront communities that later emerged.

The map also evokes deeper historical layers beyond the beach towns themselves. The area associated with Fort Caroline, later commemorated as Fort Caroline National Memorial, recalls sixteenth-century French attempts to establish a presence along the St. Johns River and the contested colonial history of the southeastern coast. Such associations give the map resonance beyond its topographical value: it charts a landscape where Indigenous history, European imperial rivalry, maritime navigation, military geography, and modern urban expansion all overlap. As a record of coastal Florida before mid-century development accelerated, “Mayport” is both precise and atmospheric, capturing a shoreline poised between natural complexity and metropolitan transformation.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Atlantic Beach
• Jacksonville Beach
• Neptune Beach
• Nassau Sound
• St. Johns River
• Mayport
• Pablo Creek
• Intercoastal Waterway
• Fort George Inlet
• Various roads and highways
• Fort Caroline National Memorial
• Beach Boulevard

Historical context & cartographic details

• Published by the US Geological Survey, known for detailed and accurate mapping of U.S. landscapes and geological features.
• Historical 1:62,500 topographical map created with survey data from 1918 and published with a 1932 imprint.
• Features a classic topographical style, using shades of blue for water bodies and hachures to show elevation changes.
• Highlights coastal features, waterways, rivers, sounds, shoreline details, and subtle elevation changes characteristic of northeastern coastal Florida.
• Documents a landscape that has changed significantly due to urbanization, coastal development, and shifting land use patterns.
• Valuable as a historical record for studying geographic and social transformation over time.

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.