Titled “Mansfield,” this US Geological Survey 1:24,000 topographic map was created in 1951 and issued with a 1973 imprint, offering a layered view of North Carolina’s central coast at a moment of profound transition. Centered around Pine Knoll Shores and the wider Bogue Banks area, it records a landscape where maritime forest, tidal water, and emerging coastal settlement meet. The map’s fine-scale surveying captures the barrier-island character of the region, with Bogue Sound lying to the north and the Atlantic Ocean stretching along the south-facing shore. As both a practical survey and a historical document, it preserves the geography of a coastal community before later decades of resort development, infrastructure expansion, and population growth transformed much of the shoreline.

The US Geological Survey brought its characteristic precision to “Mansfield,” using contour lines, hydrographic detail, and carefully differentiated land cover to describe a low, intricate coastal terrain. Founded in 1879, the USGS became the nation’s authoritative cartographic institution, producing maps essential for engineering, conservation, military planning, scientific study, and public navigation. In this quadrangle, its disciplined visual language is especially well suited to the subtle elevations and fragile margins of the North Carolina coast. Rather than dramatic mountain relief, the map emphasizes minute changes in height, marsh boundaries, water channels, roads, trails, and wooded tracts. The result is a quietly sophisticated portrait of terrain where small shifts in elevation can define drainage, settlement, ecology, and vulnerability to storms.

Pine Knoll Shores is one of the map’s most compelling focal points, situated on the narrow barrier island between Bogue Sound and the Atlantic. The area’s geography explains much of its later identity: a coastal town shaped by beach access, sheltered sound waters, maritime vegetation, and proximity to both natural preserves and neighboring communities along Bogue Banks. The map records roads and trails threading through the landscape, showing the skeletal framework from which later development would grow. In 1951, this stretch of coast retained a quieter, more sparsely built character, making the survey valuable for understanding changing patterns of land use. It evokes a period when coastal North Carolina balanced fishing, forestry, transportation, recreation, and conservation along an increasingly desirable shoreline.

Beyond the island, the map reaches toward the broader natural systems of Onslow Bay, Bogue Sound, and nearby Croatan National Forest. These names conjure a rich coastal ecology: brackish waters, tidal flats, pine woods, pocosins, marshlands, and sandy shorelines exposed to Atlantic weather. The clear distinction between land and water gives the map immediate visual clarity, while the delineation of marshes and wooded regions reveals the environmental complexity beneath that simplicity. Croatan National Forest, one of the defining protected landscapes of eastern North Carolina, anchors the inland side of the coastal zone. Its presence on the map highlights the contrast between federally managed forest, estuarine margins, and developing beach communities, all bound together by waterways and shifting coastal processes.

Historically, “Mansfield” is valuable because it captures the Pine Knoll Shores area before the full modern imprint of coastal tourism and residential expansion. The 1951 survey data preserve an earlier spatial order, while the 1973 publication date places the map in an era when barrier-island communities were becoming more formalized and accessible. Roads, settlement patterns, shorelines, and undeveloped tracts can be read as evidence of both continuity and impending change. For collectors, its appeal lies not only in its geographic specificity but in its quiet narrative of transformation: a measured, official record of marsh, forest, sound, and sea at a pivotal moment in North Carolina coastal history. It is a refined example of American topographic cartography applied to a remarkably dynamic shoreline.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Pine Knoll Shores
• Croatan National Forest
• Onslow Bay
• Bogue Sound
• Atlantic Ocean
• Various roads and trails around the Pine Knoll Shores area
• Notable water bodies and natural formations visible in the surrounding area

Historical context & cartographic details

• Map Name: Mansfield
• Date of Creation: Created in 1951, published in 1973.
• Mapmaker/Publisher: US Geological Survey (USGS), recognized for its extensive topographical surveying work and critical geographic data.
• Scale: Historical 1:24,000 topographical map.
• Design and Cartographic Details: Shows detailed terrain representation, including contour lines illustrating elevation changes and clear color distinction between land and water features.
• Topographic Character: Marshlands, coastal areas, and wooded regions are well delineated, highlighting the natural diversity of the terrain.
• Historical Significance: Reflects developments in land use and population density since 1951, offering insight into changes in coastal communities and the environment over time.

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.