Published in 1945, the US Geological Survey’s “Washington East” presents a finely observed topographical portrait of Bladensburg, Maryland, and the northeastern approaches to Washington, D.C., at a scale of 1:31,680. The map captures a region poised between its older rural and riverine character and the accelerating suburban transformation of the mid-twentieth century. Bladensburg, founded in 1742, appears as the historic anchor of the sheet: a town long associated with transportation, tobacco trade, river landings, and the routes connecting Maryland’s interior with the capital. In the aftermath of World War II, this landscape was changing rapidly, and the map preserves a precise moment before later highways, housing developments, and metropolitan expansion reshaped much of Prince George’s County.

The cartography is characteristic of the US Geological Survey’s disciplined mid-century style, with muted earth tones, crisp linework, and carefully graded contour lines that translate the land into an elegant visual language. Hills, shallow valleys, stream corridors, and low ridges are rendered with scientific restraint, allowing the viewer to read the terrain around Bladensburg, Hyattsville, Riverdale, Brentwood, Mount Rainier, and Cheverly with unusual clarity. The map’s topographic character is especially valuable in this part of Maryland, where subtle elevation changes influenced road alignments, rail corridors, settlement patterns, and drainage. Rather than simply naming places, the sheet explains why those places developed where they did, revealing the intimate relationship between natural form and urban growth.

Waterways are among the most significant features shown, especially the Anacostia River and its tributaries, including the Northeast Branch, Little Paint Branch, and Indian Creek. These streams shaped the region’s earliest transportation and commerce, and they continued to define neighborhood boundaries, parkland, and industrial corridors into the twentieth century. Bladensburg’s position near the river helps explain its early prominence, while the surrounding branch valleys illustrate the environmental framework within which later suburbs emerged. The map also evokes the long history of the Anacostia watershed, from colonial-era trade and milling to modern urban pressures. Seen through the contours and drainage lines, the area becomes not just a suburb of Washington, but a layered landscape of water, movement, and settlement.

Transportation infrastructure gives the map much of its historical energy. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad cuts through the region as a powerful reminder of the rail networks that linked the capital to Baltimore and beyond. Major roads, including Rhode Island Avenue, Route 1—Baltimore Avenue—and Maryland Route 450, trace the arteries of commerce, commuting, and suburban expansion. These routes connect a constellation of communities: Hyattsville with its streetcar-era development, Mount Rainier and Brentwood with their close ties to Washington, and Cheverly with its planned residential character. In 1945, the automobile age was already well established, yet the map still reveals a transportation landscape in which rail lines, older turnpikes, and local roads shared importance.

As a document of postwar Maryland, “Washington East” is exceptionally evocative. It shows Fort Lincoln, Magruder Park, and the area now associated with Bladensburg Waterfront Park within a broader landscape where open land, rail yards, waterways, and compact towns coexisted. The western edge gestures toward Washington, D.C., underscoring how closely this Maryland terrain was tied to the capital’s growth. Produced by the US Geological Survey, an agency renowned for transforming field observation into authoritative national mapping, the sheet combines practical accuracy with historical depth. Today, it offers more than geographic information: it is a richly detailed record of a metropolitan borderland at a pivotal moment, when old roads, river valleys, and emerging suburbs together defined the future shape of the region.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Bladensburg
• Hyattsville
• Riverdale
• Brentwood
• Mount Rainier
• Cheverly
• Washington D.C. (to the west)
• Anacostia River
• Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
• Northeast Branch
• Rhode Island Avenue
• Little Paint Branch
• Indian Creek
• Fort Lincoln
• Magruder Park
• Bladensburg Waterfront Park
• Route 1 (Baltimore Avenue)
• Maryland Route 450

Historical context & cartographic details

• Map title: Washington East
• Produced by the US Geological Survey (USGS)
• Created in 1945
• Historical 1:31,680 topographical map showing Bladensburg, Maryland, and the surrounding area
• Bladensburg is a historic town established in 1742 and served as a regional center for transportation and trade
• Uses a traditional topographical style with contour lines to show elevation changes
• Features muted earth tones typical of mid-20th-century cartographic design
• Illustrates the area’s hills, valleys, elevations, and landscape contours
• Captures the region’s infrastructure and land-use patterns in post-World War II America
• Provides insight into the transformation of the area from a more rural landscape to a more developed urban and suburban region

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.