{"product_id":"old-map-of-scituate-massachusetts-by-usgs-1940-marshfield-humarock-scituate-light","title":"Old Map of Scituate, Massachusetts by USGS, 1940 – Marshfield, Humarock \u0026 Scituate Light","description":"\u003cp\u003ePublished in 1940 by the United States Geological Survey, “Scituate” presents a finely observed topographical portrait of the Massachusetts coast south of Boston at a moment when maritime villages, summer resorts, working harbors, and rural inland roads still shared the same landscape. At a scale of 1:31,680, the map captures Scituate and its neighboring communities with the disciplined precision that made USGS quadrangles indispensable to engineers, planners, geologists, and travelers. The coastline of Massachusetts Bay forms the map’s dramatic eastern edge, while the interior is articulated through contours, streams, marshes, roads, and settlement patterns. As a historical document, it preserves the physical and cultural geography of Scituate before later decades of suburban expansion reshaped much of the South Shore.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe United States Geological Survey brought to this map the institutional rigor of one of America’s most important scientific mapping agencies. Established in the nineteenth century to classify public lands and investigate the nation’s geology, the USGS became synonymous with the topographic quadrangle: a map that combined scientific measurement with everyday usefulness. In “Scituate,” that tradition is evident in the careful contour lines tracing the modest but consequential rises and depressions of the coastal terrain. Hills, valleys, wetlands, and shorelines are rendered not decoratively but analytically, allowing the viewer to read the land as a connected system. The map’s subtle use of color and shading conveys land use, vegetation, and relief, giving an unusually rich impression of the region’s environmental character.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eScituate itself occupies a storied place on the Massachusetts coast, long shaped by fishing, shipbuilding, coastal trade, and the hazards of the Atlantic. The map identifies Scituate Harbor, Cedar Point, Egypt Beach, Third Cliff, Fourth Cliff, and the vicinity of Scituate Light, all names that evoke the town’s maritime identity. The beaches and headlands shown here were not merely scenic features; they influenced livelihoods, settlement, transportation, and local memory. Scituate Light, standing guard near the harbor entrance, belongs to a coastal network of beacons that helped mariners navigate the reefs, shoals, and storm-prone waters of Massachusetts Bay. In this map, the shore is both boundary and lifeline, a restless edge where geography and history meet.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBeyond the harbor, the map extends across a varied South Shore landscape that includes North Scituate, Humarock, Marshfield, Minot Beach, and the landmark Lawson Tower. Rivers and brooks—among them the Weir River, Herring Brook, and the North River—thread through the terrain, revealing the hydrological structure beneath the pattern of roads and settlements. The North River in particular has deep associations with shipbuilding and coastal commerce, once supporting yards that produced vessels for regional and international trade. Humarock, set amid shifting sands and waterways, hints at the vulnerability and dynamism of barrier beaches. The map’s attention to these features makes it a record not only of place names, but of the natural systems that sustained and constrained coastal life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs a 1940 topographical map, “Scituate” offers a valuable benchmark for understanding change along one of New England’s most historically resonant shorelines. It records the relationship between villages, roads, beaches, marshes, and uplands before postwar development intensified across the region. The careful rendering of contours and coastal forms allows modern viewers to compare past and present landscapes: altered shorelines, expanded residential areas, changing wetlands, and evolving patterns of access to the sea. Yet the map is more than a technical reference. Its balanced composition, crisp labeling, and intricate topographic detail give it quiet visual authority. It invites contemplation of Scituate as both a lived community and a coastal environment shaped by geology, water, weather, and human enterprise.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eCities, towns and places on this map\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eScituate\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNorth Scituate\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHumarock\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMarshfield\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eScituate Harbor\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCedar Point\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEgypt Beach\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThird Cliff\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFourth Cliff\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eScituate Light\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWeir River\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHerring Brook\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNorth River\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMinot Beach\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLawson Tower\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMassachusetts Bay\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLighthouses\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eVarious identified roads and trails\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCoastal features\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eHistorical context \u0026amp; cartographic details\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHistorical 1:31,680 topographical map of Scituate, Massachusetts and the surrounding area.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCreated in 1940.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eProduced by the United States Geological Survey (USGS).\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe USGS is an important American mapping and geological sciences agency, known for topographical maps that provide historical, cultural, and ecological insight.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eShows Scituate’s coastal features and surrounding geographical attributes.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eScituate is known for its maritime history, beaches, and coastal landscapes, which have shaped the local economy and culture.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUses detailed contour lines to show elevation changes.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIncludes shading and color gradients to depict land use and vegetation types.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDepicts hills, valleys, water bodies, and coastal lines.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eServes as a historical comparison point for environmental and urban development changes in Scituate since 1940.\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 16x20in (40x50cm) 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":59906610004352,"sku":null,"price":41.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":59906610037120,"sku":null,"price":112.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed canvas map","offer_id":59906610069888,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Map","offer_id":59906610102656,"sku":null,"price":41.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":59906610135424,"sku":null,"price":112.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed canvas 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