1948 Map of Bath

About this map

The coastal jaggedness of mid-coast Maine is on full display in this 1948 Army Map Service compilation, centered on the complex estuary where the Kennebec River and Androscoggin River meet at Merrymeeting Bay. The map documents a maritime landscape of interconnected waterways and long, narrow peninsulas, dominated by the shipbuilding hub of Bath and the historical coastal villages of Wiscasset and Boothbay Harbor. Inland, the terrain is marked by the distinct north-south orientation of the Sheepscot River and Damariscotta River. Further out in the Atlantic Ocean, the map provides crucial navigational detail for offshore outposts like Monhegan Island, Matinicus Island, and the isolated lighthouse at Mount Desert Rock. This era reflects the region's post-war infrastructure, showing the established path of Us 1 connecting the river towns and the branching state routes leading to coastal points like Pemaquid Point and Small Point Beach.