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1903 Map of Boston Bay

Name: 1903 Topographic Map of Boston Bay
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1939
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1939

About this map

Boston Harbor is mapped here at the dawn of the twentieth century, showing a maritime landscape defined by its defensive fortifications and growing coastal leisure hubs. From the rocky northern reaches of Marblehead Neck down to the southern sweep of Nantasket Beach, the coastline is a complex network of island landmarks and deep-water channels. Significant maritime infrastructure includes the Egg Rock L.H. and the strategic position of Ft. Warren on Georges I., guarding The Narrows.

Expansion toward the suburbs is visible in the rail lines of the Boston and Maine R. R. and the B. R. B. and L. R. R., which linked metropolitan workers to summer destinations like Winthrop Beach and Beachmont. The map also captures several inland water bodies such as Spring Pond and Breeds Pond, which remained vital to the industrial and domestic needs of growing settlements like Peabody and Swampscott during this era of rapid development.