{"product_id":"old-map-of-annapolis-maryland-by-usgs-1904-chesapeake-bay-kent-island","title":"Old Map of Annapolis, Maryland by USGS, 1904 – Chesapeake Bay \u0026 Kent Island","description":"\u003cp\u003ePublished in 1904 under the title “Annapolis,” this U.S. Geological Survey topographical map presents Maryland’s capital and its Chesapeake surroundings at the revealing scale of 1:62,500. It captures Annapolis at a moment when the city still bore the imprint of its colonial maritime origins, while the wider landscape remained a delicate pattern of waterways, farms, villages, and emerging transport routes. The great sweep of Chesapeake Bay dominates the composition, with the Severn River opening toward Annapolis and the opposing Eastern Shore forming an intricate shoreline of points, narrows, and islands. Rendered in the restrained USGS style of light browns, blues, and precise linework, the map balances scientific clarity with the quiet elegance of early twentieth-century American cartography.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe map was issued by the U.S. Geological Survey under the direction of Charles D. Walcott, one of the most influential scientific administrators of his era. Walcott, later celebrated for his work on the Burgess Shale fossils and his leadership of the Smithsonian Institution, presided over the USGS during a period when systematic national mapping became essential to infrastructure, land management, and scientific understanding. This “Annapolis” sheet reflects that ambition: it is not simply a navigational aid, but a carefully measured portrait of landform, settlement, and water. Its contour lines describe subtle elevations and depressions across Anne Arundel County and the Chesapeake margins, translating a low-lying coastal landscape into a disciplined visual language of survey and measurement.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnnapolis itself appears as the civic and historical anchor of the map, set beside the Severn River and oriented toward Chesapeake Bay. As Maryland’s capital and a colonial port city, Annapolis had long occupied an important place in Atlantic trade, political life, and naval history; by 1904, it was both an old seaport and a modern administrative center. Nearby communities such as Crownsville, Severna Park, Broadneck, Sandy Point, and North Point mark a surrounding world of rural roads, shore settlements, and waterfront landings. The map’s topography reveals why the area developed as it did: creeks, coves, peninsulas, and gentle ridges determined routes of travel, patterns of farming, and the placement of towns along navigable water.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo the east, the map opens across the Chesapeake to Kent Island, Eastern Bay, Kent Narrows, Queenstown, St. Michaels, and the river systems of the Miles and Chester. These names evoke one of America’s most distinctive tidewater regions, where geography is defined less by hard boundaries than by the meeting of land, estuary, and maritime livelihood. Points such as Bloody Point, South Point, Roaches Point, and Egret Point punctuate the shoreline, while islands including Poplar Island and Smith Island speak to the bay’s shifting interplay of erosion, settlement, and navigation. The inclusion of these features gives the map a richly coastal character, documenting a Chesapeake landscape shaped by ferries, fishing, oyster grounds, farms, and sail.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe visual power of the “Annapolis” sheet lies in its marriage of restraint and detail. Muted blues articulate bays, rivers, narrows, and inlets, while fine brown contour lines give form to a terrain whose changes are often subtle but historically important. At first glance the land seems gentle; under closer inspection, the map discloses drainage patterns, low divides, creek valleys, and the many small rises that shaped roads, farms, and settlements. As a snapshot of Maryland in 1904, it preserves a landscape on the edge of modern transformation, before the full force of suburban expansion, bridge construction, and twentieth-century development remade the Chesapeake’s western shore. It is both a technical survey and a deeply evocative record of place.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eCities, towns and places on this map\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnnapolis\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eChesapeake Bay\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEastern Bay\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKent Island\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBloody Point\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNorth Point\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSouth Point\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSt. Michaels\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eQueenstown\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCrownsville\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSeverna Park\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBroadneck\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRoaches Point\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSandy Point\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSevern River\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMiles River\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eChester River\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKent Narrows\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSolomon's Island\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEgret Point\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSmith Island\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePoplar Island\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eVarious small farms and settlements throughout the region\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eHistorical context \u0026amp; cartographic details\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eProduced by the US Geological Survey, this historical 1:62,500 topographical map shows Annapolis, Maryland and the surrounding area.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCreated in 1904.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePublished by the US Geological Survey under the direction of Charles D. Walcott.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe US Geological Survey played a pivotal role in the development of topographic mapping in the United States.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnnapolis serves as the capital of Maryland and has historical significance as a colonial port city.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe map uses a muted color palette, with light browns and blues distinguishing land from water.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eClearly defined contour lines indicate elevation changes across the landscape.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe topographic detail illustrates terrain elevations and depressions, offering insight into the area’s geography.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe map provides a snapshot of the early 20th-century Maryland landscape, including patterns of settlement, urban development, and land use.\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=\"\/de\/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=\"\/de\/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=\"\/de\/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=\"\/de\/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":58792667447680,"sku":null,"price":83.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":58792667480448,"sku":null,"price":223.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed canvas map","offer_id":58792667513216,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Map","offer_id":58792667545984,"sku":null,"price":83.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":58792667578752,"sku":null,"price":223.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed canvas 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