Rare Old Map of Fire Island, New York by USGS, 1911: Great South Bay, Bay Shore & Patchogue
Restored in our London workshop from the original 1911 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 Australia
Restored from the original 1911 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 “Fire Island,” this US Geological Survey map presents the barrier island and adjoining South Shore of Long Island at a 1:62,500...
Continue readingTitled “Fire Island,” this US Geological Survey map presents the barrier island and adjoining South Shore of Long Island at a 1:62,500 scale, published in 1911 from survey work completed in 1903. It captures a coastal world poised between nature and development: the slender ribbon of Fire Island dividing the Atlantic Ocean from Great South Bay, with mainland settlements such as Bay Shore, Blue Point, Patchogue, Mastic, and nearby hamlets lining the inland shore. The map’s early twentieth-century imprint gives it particular historical resonance, recording the region before the fuller wave of recreational growth, road expansion, and resort development that would reshape Long Island’s coast in the decades that followed.
The US Geological Survey, founded in 1879, brought a scientific rigor to American cartography that is beautifully evident here. Rather than presenting Fire Island merely as a seaside destination, the map renders it as a precise geographic system: beaches, bays, marshy margins, sandbars, inlets, low-lying terrain, and subtle changes in elevation are all organized through the disciplined language of topography. Contour lines, shorelines, and hydrographic detail work together to make the map both practical and elegant. Its muted palette and stylized lettering are characteristic of the period, lending the sheet a restrained authority that reflects the USGS mission to document the nation’s landscapes with clarity, accuracy, and permanence.
Fire Island itself is the central drama of the composition: a long, narrow barrier protecting Great South Bay from the open Atlantic. The map makes clear how delicate and dynamic this coastal landscape is, with the ocean-facing beaches set against the quieter bay waters to the north. The surrounding waterways define movement, settlement, and livelihood, linking Nicoll’s Island, mainland landings, and shoreline communities into a broader maritime geography. Before the area became widely associated with summer colonies, preserved dunes, and beach recreation, it was already a landscape of navigation, fishing, lifesaving, and coastal vigilance, a place shaped constantly by tides, storms, shifting sands, and human adaptation.
On the mainland, the map records the villages and routes that gave the South Shore its early twentieth-century structure. Bay Shore, Blue Point, Patchogue, Mastic, and other settlements appear in relation to creeks, roads, rail corridors, and bayfront access points, showing a region where agriculture, commerce, and coastal recreation were beginning to overlap. Inland from the bay, the terrain rises gently, its contours contrasting with the nearly level expanse of beaches and wetlands. Areas associated today with places such as Southaven County Park, Smith Point County Park, and Fire Island National Seashore can be understood here in an earlier cartographic state, before later conservation and leisure identities became dominant.
As a historical document, “Fire Island” offers a rare view of a celebrated coastal landscape before modern urbanization and mass tourism fully transformed it. The Coast Guard presence, shoreline settlements, barrier beach, and intricate bay system speak to the practical concerns of the era: safety, navigation, transportation, and the mapping of natural resources. Yet the map also conveys the enduring allure of Fire Island’s geography—its luminous separation from the mainland, its exposure to the Atlantic, and its sheltered northern waters. In the measured style of the USGS, the map turns a beloved stretch of New York coastline into an object of scientific beauty, historical depth, and quiet cartographic sophistication.
Cities, towns and places on this map
- Fire Island
- Great South Bay
- Atlantic Ocean
- Nicoll's Island
- Bay Shore
- Blue Point
- Patchogue
- Mastic
- Southaven County Park
- Smith Point County Park
- Fire Island National Seashore
- Coast Guard Station Fire Island
- Various minor settlements and roads along the coast and inland waterways
Historical context & cartographic details
- Produced by the US Geological Survey.
- Surveyed in 1903 and published in 1911.
- 1:62,500 scale topographical map of Fire Island and its surrounding area.
- The USGS was established in 1879 and is known for scientific research and mapping of natural resources.
- Shows Fire Island, notable for its natural beauty, beaches, tourism, and recreation.
- Features clear delineation of water bodies and landforms, with contour lines showing elevation changes.
- Includes stylized text and a muted color palette typical of early 20th-century maps.
- Illustrates coastal and elevation features, including beaches, sandbars, and surrounding waterways.
- Reflects early 20th-century geographic understanding and development of the area.
- Since the map was made, the area has seen increased urbanization and recreational development.
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 “Fire Island,” this US Geological Survey map presents the barrier island and adjoining South Shore of Long Island at a 1:62,500 scale, published in 1911 from survey work completed in 1903. It captures a coastal world poised between nature and development: the slender ribbon of Fire Island dividing the Atlantic Ocean from Great South Bay, with mainland settlements such as Bay Shore, Blue Point, Patchogue, Mastic, and nearby hamlets lining the inland shore. The map’s early twentieth-century imprint gives it particular historical resonance, recording the region before the fuller wave of recreational growth, road expansion, and resort development that would reshape Long Island’s coast in the decades that followed.
The US Geological Survey, founded in 1879, brought a scientific rigor to American cartography that is beautifully evident here. Rather than presenting Fire Island merely as a seaside destination, the map renders it as a precise geographic system: beaches, bays, marshy margins, sandbars, inlets, low-lying terrain, and subtle changes in elevation are all organized through the disciplined language of topography. Contour lines, shorelines, and hydrographic detail work together to make the map both practical and elegant. Its muted palette and stylized lettering are characteristic of the period, lending the sheet a restrained authority that reflects the USGS mission to document the nation’s landscapes with clarity, accuracy, and permanence.
Fire Island itself is the central drama of the composition: a long, narrow barrier protecting Great South Bay from the open Atlantic. The map makes clear how delicate and dynamic this coastal landscape is, with the ocean-facing beaches set against the quieter bay waters to the north. The surrounding waterways define movement, settlement, and livelihood, linking Nicoll’s Island, mainland landings, and shoreline communities into a broader maritime geography. Before the area became widely associated with summer colonies, preserved dunes, and beach recreation, it was already a landscape of navigation, fishing, lifesaving, and coastal vigilance, a place shaped constantly by tides, storms, shifting sands, and human adaptation.
On the mainland, the map records the villages and routes that gave the South Shore its early twentieth-century structure. Bay Shore, Blue Point, Patchogue, Mastic, and other settlements appear in relation to creeks, roads, rail corridors, and bayfront access points, showing a region where agriculture, commerce, and coastal recreation were beginning to overlap. Inland from the bay, the terrain rises gently, its contours contrasting with the nearly level expanse of beaches and wetlands. Areas associated today with places such as Southaven County Park, Smith Point County Park, and Fire Island National Seashore can be understood here in an earlier cartographic state, before later conservation and leisure identities became dominant.
As a historical document, “Fire Island” offers a rare view of a celebrated coastal landscape before modern urbanization and mass tourism fully transformed it. The Coast Guard presence, shoreline settlements, barrier beach, and intricate bay system speak to the practical concerns of the era: safety, navigation, transportation, and the mapping of natural resources. Yet the map also conveys the enduring allure of Fire Island’s geography—its luminous separation from the mainland, its exposure to the Atlantic, and its sheltered northern waters. In the measured style of the USGS, the map turns a beloved stretch of New York coastline into an object of scientific beauty, historical depth, and quiet cartographic sophistication.
Cities, towns and places on this map
- Fire Island
- Great South Bay
- Atlantic Ocean
- Nicoll's Island
- Bay Shore
- Blue Point
- Patchogue
- Mastic
- Southaven County Park
- Smith Point County Park
- Fire Island National Seashore
- Coast Guard Station Fire Island
- Various minor settlements and roads along the coast and inland waterways
Historical context & cartographic details
- Produced by the US Geological Survey.
- Surveyed in 1903 and published in 1911.
- 1:62,500 scale topographical map of Fire Island and its surrounding area.
- The USGS was established in 1879 and is known for scientific research and mapping of natural resources.
- Shows Fire Island, notable for its natural beauty, beaches, tourism, and recreation.
- Features clear delineation of water bodies and landforms, with contour lines showing elevation changes.
- Includes stylized text and a muted color palette typical of early 20th-century maps.
- Illustrates coastal and elevation features, including beaches, sandbars, and surrounding waterways.
- Reflects early 20th-century geographic understanding and development of the area.
- Since the map was made, the area has seen increased urbanization and recreational development.
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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