Rare Old Map of Starkville, Mississippi by USGS, 1965: Mississippi State University & Oktibbeha County
Restored in our London workshop from the original 1966 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 1966 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.
You can also contact us before you order, if you prefer!
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Published with a 1966 imprint from 1965 mapping, the US Geological Survey’s “Starkville” captures a mid-century portrait of one of northern Mississippi’s...
Continue readingPublished with a 1966 imprint from 1965 mapping, the US Geological Survey’s “Starkville” captures a mid-century portrait of one of northern Mississippi’s most significant college towns. Drawn at the precise 1:24,000 scale, it presents Starkville and its surrounding countryside with the quiet authority characteristic of USGS topographic work. The map records the town at a moment when its urban form, road network, institutional footprint, and rural edges were all in visible transition. Mississippi State University appears as a defining presence, anchoring the community and shaping the settlement pattern around it. For collectors, this is not merely a map of place, but a measured snapshot of Starkville’s landscape, infrastructure, and identity during the 1960s.
The cartography is classic USGS: clear, disciplined, and deeply informative. Contour lines trace the subtle rises and depressions of Oktibbeha County terrain, while blue waterways, ponds, and lakes articulate the drainage patterns that structure the local landscape. Forested areas are washed in green, giving immediate visual contrast between wooded land, open ground, and developed areas. Roads, minor routes, railways, and gridded reference lines combine to create a map that is both practical and elegant. Its design reflects the postwar USGS commitment to standardized, nationwide topographic coverage—maps that served engineers, planners, geologists, landowners, and travelers, while today offering an unusually intimate record of regional geography.
Starkville itself is the focal point, shown as a town whose civic and educational importance exceeded its modest scale. Mississippi State University, long central to the area’s economy and culture, gives the map particular historical resonance. Its presence suggests the patterns of movement, housing, commerce, and expansion that would increasingly define Starkville in the later twentieth century. The surrounding roads and rail lines speak to the town’s connections beyond Oktibbeha County, linking academic life, agricultural production, and regional trade. For anyone interested in the history of college towns in the American South, this map offers a grounded view of the built environment before later waves of suburban growth and campus expansion.
Beyond Starkville’s streets and institutional landmarks, the map opens into the rural texture of Mississippi: scattered smaller communities, wooded tracts, streams, ponds, and farm roads spread across gently varied terrain. The topographic language reveals how settlement followed the land, with routes adapting to creeks, lowlands, and rises rather than imposing an abstract geometry. Blue water features punctuate the countryside, while green forested zones show the persistence of natural cover around cultivated and inhabited areas. This interplay between town and countryside is one of the map’s great pleasures, allowing the viewer to see Starkville not as an isolated urban point, but as part of a broader environmental and social landscape.
As a historical document, the 1965 “Starkville” quadrangle is especially valuable for understanding change over time. It preserves the area before many later transformations in land use, transportation, university development, and residential growth. Comparing its carefully surveyed contours, roads, railways, and settlement patterns with the present day reveals the evolving relationship between Mississippi State University, the city of Starkville, and the surrounding Oktibbeha County countryside. The map embodies the USGS ideal of exact observation in service of public knowledge, yet it also possesses a quiet visual beauty: a layered composition of lines, colors, names, and terrain that turns a specific Mississippi landscape into a lasting historical record.
Cities, towns and places on this map
- Starkville
- Mississippi State University
- Oktibbeha County
- Various lakes and ponds
- Forested areas
- Roads, including major and minor highways
- Railways
- Streams and rivers
- Nearby smaller communities and rural areas
- Potential historical sites in the surrounding region
Historical context & cartographic details
- Produced by the US Geological Survey
- Historical 1:24,000 topographical map of Starkville, Mississippi and the surrounding area
- Dated 1965 with a 1966 imprint
- Shows Starkville during the mid-20th century, offering insight into urban development and land use
- Uses traditional USGS topographic styling with clear contour lines
- Color scheme differentiates urban areas, forests, and water bodies
- Elevations are marked by contour lines
- Forested areas are shown in green
- Water features are outlined in blue
- Includes a grid system for orientation and understanding spatial relationships
- Useful for comparing historical and current topographical data to study urbanization and landscape change
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.
Published with a 1966 imprint from 1965 mapping, the US Geological Survey’s “Starkville” captures a mid-century portrait of one of northern Mississippi’s most significant college towns. Drawn at the precise 1:24,000 scale, it presents Starkville and its surrounding countryside with the quiet authority characteristic of USGS topographic work. The map records the town at a moment when its urban form, road network, institutional footprint, and rural edges were all in visible transition. Mississippi State University appears as a defining presence, anchoring the community and shaping the settlement pattern around it. For collectors, this is not merely a map of place, but a measured snapshot of Starkville’s landscape, infrastructure, and identity during the 1960s.
The cartography is classic USGS: clear, disciplined, and deeply informative. Contour lines trace the subtle rises and depressions of Oktibbeha County terrain, while blue waterways, ponds, and lakes articulate the drainage patterns that structure the local landscape. Forested areas are washed in green, giving immediate visual contrast between wooded land, open ground, and developed areas. Roads, minor routes, railways, and gridded reference lines combine to create a map that is both practical and elegant. Its design reflects the postwar USGS commitment to standardized, nationwide topographic coverage—maps that served engineers, planners, geologists, landowners, and travelers, while today offering an unusually intimate record of regional geography.
Starkville itself is the focal point, shown as a town whose civic and educational importance exceeded its modest scale. Mississippi State University, long central to the area’s economy and culture, gives the map particular historical resonance. Its presence suggests the patterns of movement, housing, commerce, and expansion that would increasingly define Starkville in the later twentieth century. The surrounding roads and rail lines speak to the town’s connections beyond Oktibbeha County, linking academic life, agricultural production, and regional trade. For anyone interested in the history of college towns in the American South, this map offers a grounded view of the built environment before later waves of suburban growth and campus expansion.
Beyond Starkville’s streets and institutional landmarks, the map opens into the rural texture of Mississippi: scattered smaller communities, wooded tracts, streams, ponds, and farm roads spread across gently varied terrain. The topographic language reveals how settlement followed the land, with routes adapting to creeks, lowlands, and rises rather than imposing an abstract geometry. Blue water features punctuate the countryside, while green forested zones show the persistence of natural cover around cultivated and inhabited areas. This interplay between town and countryside is one of the map’s great pleasures, allowing the viewer to see Starkville not as an isolated urban point, but as part of a broader environmental and social landscape.
As a historical document, the 1965 “Starkville” quadrangle is especially valuable for understanding change over time. It preserves the area before many later transformations in land use, transportation, university development, and residential growth. Comparing its carefully surveyed contours, roads, railways, and settlement patterns with the present day reveals the evolving relationship between Mississippi State University, the city of Starkville, and the surrounding Oktibbeha County countryside. The map embodies the USGS ideal of exact observation in service of public knowledge, yet it also possesses a quiet visual beauty: a layered composition of lines, colors, names, and terrain that turns a specific Mississippi landscape into a lasting historical record.
Cities, towns and places on this map
- Starkville
- Mississippi State University
- Oktibbeha County
- Various lakes and ponds
- Forested areas
- Roads, including major and minor highways
- Railways
- Streams and rivers
- Nearby smaller communities and rural areas
- Potential historical sites in the surrounding region
Historical context & cartographic details
- Produced by the US Geological Survey
- Historical 1:24,000 topographical map of Starkville, Mississippi and the surrounding area
- Dated 1965 with a 1966 imprint
- Shows Starkville during the mid-20th century, offering insight into urban development and land use
- Uses traditional USGS topographic styling with clear contour lines
- Color scheme differentiates urban areas, forests, and water bodies
- Elevations are marked by contour lines
- Forested areas are shown in green
- Water features are outlined in blue
- Includes a grid system for orientation and understanding spatial relationships
- Useful for comparing historical and current topographical data to study urbanization and landscape change
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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