Rare Old Map of Florence, Alabama by USGS, 1957 – Pickwick Lake, Tennessee River & Wilson Dam
Restored in our London workshop from the original 1958 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 EU
Restored from the original 1958 map and printed to museum-grade archival standards. Full description
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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.
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Titled “Florence,” this 1:24,000 topographical map was surveyed in 1957 and published in 1958 by the United States Geological Survey, capturing northwest...
Continue readingTitled “Florence,” this 1:24,000 topographical map was surveyed in 1957 and published in 1958 by the United States Geological Survey, capturing northwest Alabama at a revealing mid-century moment. Florence appears as the principal urban center, its street grid and residential districts picked out in red against the measured greens, blues, and browns of the surrounding landscape. The Tennessee River and Pickwick Lake give the sheet a strong geographic axis, shaping settlement, industry, transport, and recreation across the Shoals region. With its precise contour lines and careful symbolization, the map presents not merely a town plan, but a richly layered portrait of terrain, water, infrastructure, and human occupation in the years after World War II.
The United States Geological Survey brought to this map the disciplined clarity that made its quadrangles indispensable to engineers, planners, geologists, and travelers. Founded in 1879, the USGS became the great cartographic record-keeper of the American landscape, translating field surveys and aerial interpretation into standardized, beautifully legible topographic sheets. Here, Florence and its environs are rendered with the practical elegance of postwar federal mapping: roads are clearly differentiated, rail lines thread through the scene, and civic growth is contrasted with woodland, open land, and riverine lowlands. The result is a map both technical and historical, revealing how the federal eye understood a regional city and its surrounding countryside in the late 1950s.
The map’s most dramatic natural feature is the Tennessee River, whose broad course defines the geography of Florence and the neighboring Shoals. Pickwick Lake, created by the Tennessee Valley Authority’s dam-building program, reflects one of the twentieth century’s most ambitious transformations of the American South: the harnessing of rivers for navigation, flood control, electricity, and economic modernization. Wilson Dam, also shown, anchors this story of engineered water and regional development. Creeks such as Cypress Creek, Little Bear Creek, and Shoals Creek lace the surrounding terrain, their valleys marked by contour lines that make visible the subtle rises, slopes, and depressions of the Alabama landscape.
Florence itself is shown as a structured and expanding urban place, with dense street patterns, residential blocks, transportation corridors, and nearby parks set within a larger rural framework. State Highway 20, State Highway 13, State Route 72, US Route 43, and County Road 24 indicate the road network that connected the city to nearby communities, industrial sites, and river crossings. Railroad lines add another layer of mobility and commerce, recalling the importance of freight, manufacturing, and regional trade in the Shoals economy. Colbert Heights, Spring Park, and surrounding hills and valleys appear as part of a wider inhabited landscape, where town, countryside, and infrastructure meet.
Cartographically, the sheet is especially appealing for its vivid mid-century USGS visual language. Red urban shading gives Florence an immediate presence, while blue waterways, green forested areas, and brown contour lines create a balanced and information-rich composition. The contours are central to the map’s character, tracing the undulations of ridges, creek valleys, river margins, and uplands with quiet precision. As a historical document, it preserves the Florence area before later waves of suburban growth, highway expansion, and landscape alteration reshaped the region. It is a compelling snapshot of Alabama’s Tennessee River country at a moment when natural geography, New Deal infrastructure, and postwar development converged.
Cities, towns and places on this map
- Florence, Alabama
- Pickwick Lake
- Tennessee River
- Cypress Creek
- Little Bear Creek
- Colbert Heights
- Spring Park
- Shoals Creek
- State Highway 13
- State Highway 20
- County Road 24
- State Route 72
- Wilson Dam
- US Route 43
- Railroad lines
- Nearby hills and valleys as indicated by contour lines
- Residential areas marked with grid patterns in urban sections
- Various parks and forested areas as depicted in green shading
Historical context & cartographic details
- Historical 1:24,000 topographical map of Florence, Alabama and the surrounding area.
- Produced by the United States Geological Survey in 1957 and published in 1958.
- Uses a vibrant color scheme with distinct shading to indicate different terrains.
- Includes detailed contour lines showing topographical variations, elevations, and depressions.
- Urban areas are denoted in red shading, with forested regions and water bodies clearly differentiated.
- Serves as a snapshot of Florence during the late 1950s, offering insight into urban development and landscape use at that time.
- Documents the area before later urban expansion, infrastructure development, and changes to the natural landscape.
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.
Titled “Florence,” this 1:24,000 topographical map was surveyed in 1957 and published in 1958 by the United States Geological Survey, capturing northwest Alabama at a revealing mid-century moment. Florence appears as the principal urban center, its street grid and residential districts picked out in red against the measured greens, blues, and browns of the surrounding landscape. The Tennessee River and Pickwick Lake give the sheet a strong geographic axis, shaping settlement, industry, transport, and recreation across the Shoals region. With its precise contour lines and careful symbolization, the map presents not merely a town plan, but a richly layered portrait of terrain, water, infrastructure, and human occupation in the years after World War II.
The United States Geological Survey brought to this map the disciplined clarity that made its quadrangles indispensable to engineers, planners, geologists, and travelers. Founded in 1879, the USGS became the great cartographic record-keeper of the American landscape, translating field surveys and aerial interpretation into standardized, beautifully legible topographic sheets. Here, Florence and its environs are rendered with the practical elegance of postwar federal mapping: roads are clearly differentiated, rail lines thread through the scene, and civic growth is contrasted with woodland, open land, and riverine lowlands. The result is a map both technical and historical, revealing how the federal eye understood a regional city and its surrounding countryside in the late 1950s.
The map’s most dramatic natural feature is the Tennessee River, whose broad course defines the geography of Florence and the neighboring Shoals. Pickwick Lake, created by the Tennessee Valley Authority’s dam-building program, reflects one of the twentieth century’s most ambitious transformations of the American South: the harnessing of rivers for navigation, flood control, electricity, and economic modernization. Wilson Dam, also shown, anchors this story of engineered water and regional development. Creeks such as Cypress Creek, Little Bear Creek, and Shoals Creek lace the surrounding terrain, their valleys marked by contour lines that make visible the subtle rises, slopes, and depressions of the Alabama landscape.
Florence itself is shown as a structured and expanding urban place, with dense street patterns, residential blocks, transportation corridors, and nearby parks set within a larger rural framework. State Highway 20, State Highway 13, State Route 72, US Route 43, and County Road 24 indicate the road network that connected the city to nearby communities, industrial sites, and river crossings. Railroad lines add another layer of mobility and commerce, recalling the importance of freight, manufacturing, and regional trade in the Shoals economy. Colbert Heights, Spring Park, and surrounding hills and valleys appear as part of a wider inhabited landscape, where town, countryside, and infrastructure meet.
Cartographically, the sheet is especially appealing for its vivid mid-century USGS visual language. Red urban shading gives Florence an immediate presence, while blue waterways, green forested areas, and brown contour lines create a balanced and information-rich composition. The contours are central to the map’s character, tracing the undulations of ridges, creek valleys, river margins, and uplands with quiet precision. As a historical document, it preserves the Florence area before later waves of suburban growth, highway expansion, and landscape alteration reshaped the region. It is a compelling snapshot of Alabama’s Tennessee River country at a moment when natural geography, New Deal infrastructure, and postwar development converged.
Cities, towns and places on this map
- Florence, Alabama
- Pickwick Lake
- Tennessee River
- Cypress Creek
- Little Bear Creek
- Colbert Heights
- Spring Park
- Shoals Creek
- State Highway 13
- State Highway 20
- County Road 24
- State Route 72
- Wilson Dam
- US Route 43
- Railroad lines
- Nearby hills and valleys as indicated by contour lines
- Residential areas marked with grid patterns in urban sections
- Various parks and forested areas as depicted in green shading
Historical context & cartographic details
- Historical 1:24,000 topographical map of Florence, Alabama and the surrounding area.
- Produced by the United States Geological Survey in 1957 and published in 1958.
- Uses a vibrant color scheme with distinct shading to indicate different terrains.
- Includes detailed contour lines showing topographical variations, elevations, and depressions.
- Urban areas are denoted in red shading, with forested regions and water bodies clearly differentiated.
- Serves as a snapshot of Florence during the late 1950s, offering insight into urban development and landscape use at that time.
- Documents the area before later urban expansion, infrastructure development, and changes to the natural landscape.
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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