“Camden Quadrangle” is a finely detailed US Geological Survey topographic map published in 1953 from survey data gathered in 1949, preserving a precise mid-century portrait of the lower Delaware River corridor. Centered on Camden and the adjoining New Jersey communities across from Philadelphia, it captures a landscape poised between older industrial patterns and the suburban expansion that would soon transform the region. Haddonfield, Collingswood, Pennsauken, Maple Shade, Cinnaminson, and what would become increasingly developed Cherry Hill appear within a carefully measured grid of roads, railways, waterways, and contours. At 1:24,000 scale, the map offers the intimacy of local geography while retaining the authoritative clarity for which USGS quadrangles are prized.

Produced by the US Geological Survey, the map belongs to one of America’s most important cartographic traditions. Since the late nineteenth century, the USGS has created maps intended not merely for navigation, but for scientific understanding, civic planning, resource management, and national infrastructure. The Camden Quadrangle reflects that mission in its disciplined visual language: contour lines model the subtle terrain of southern New Jersey, blue traces the Delaware River and its tributaries, and orange shading marks the built-up urban fabric. The result is both utilitarian and elegant, a document in which every road, stream, rail line, and elevation mark contributes to a larger portrait of place.

The geography shown is deceptively gentle, yet richly instructive. Southern New Jersey’s low relief is articulated through close, patient contouring, revealing the modest rises, drainage patterns, and creek valleys that shaped settlement and transportation. The Cooper River and Little Timber Creek thread through the quadrangle, their courses connecting marshy lowlands, residential districts, and older industrial corridors. The Delaware River forms the great regional axis, linking Camden to Philadelphia and to the broader commercial world of the eastern seaboard. Railways and roadways interlace the terrain, recording the routes by which commuters, freight, and suburban growth moved through the postwar metropolitan landscape.

Historically, the map is especially evocative for what it shows before later layers of development fully arrived. In 1949, Camden remained a major industrial city, closely tied to shipbuilding, manufacturing, and river commerce, while surrounding towns such as Haddonfield, Collingswood, and Pennsauken retained clearer distinctions between town centers, open land, and emerging subdivisions. Cherry Hill, now synonymous with suburban retail and residential expansion, appears here at an earlier stage in its transformation. This makes the Camden Quadrangle a revealing artifact of the postwar moment, when automobile suburbs, highway planning, and metropolitan decentralization were beginning to redraw the social and physical map of the region.

Cartographically, the sheet has the restrained beauty of classic mid-twentieth-century American topography. Its color system is purposeful rather than ornamental: water in blue, urbanized areas in warm orange, contours in fine brown, and transportation networks in crisp linear detail. This visual economy allows the viewer to read both the natural and human landscape at once, from riverbanks and creek beds to street grids and rail corridors. For collectors, historians, planners, or anyone with a connection to Camden County and the Delaware Valley, the map offers more than geographic information; it is a lucid, data-rich snapshot of a region on the cusp of profound change.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Haddonfield
• Camden
• Philadelphia
• Delaware River
• Cinnaminson
• Maple Shade
• Pennsauken
• Collingswood
• Cherry Hill
• Little Timber Creek
• Cooper River
• Various unnamed roads and railways

Historical context & cartographic details

• Map Name: Camden Quadrangle
• Creation Date: 1949; published in 1953
• Scale: 1:24,000
• Mapmaker/Publisher: Produced by the US Geological Survey
• USGS Context: The US Geological Survey is a U.S. government scientific agency known for producing detailed, reliable maps used in planning, conservation, zoning, and geographic research.
• Design and Cartographic Details: Uses a traditional topographic style with contour lines for elevation, orange shading for urban areas, and blue for water bodies.
• Topographic Character: Shows detailed terrain and elevation changes in the Haddonfield and Camden areas.
• Historical Significance: Captures southern New Jersey’s urban and natural landscape in the mid-20th century, before later suburban expansion and major infrastructure changes.

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.