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1946 Map of Boston North

Name: 1946 Topographic Map of Boston North
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1950
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1950

About this map

The dense urban and suburban landscape north of Boston Harbor is captured here during the post-war industrial peak of the late 1940s. The region is defined by a heavy concentration of cemeteries and hospitals, such as the sprawling Woodlawn Cem and Holy Cross Cem, alongside vital regional infrastructure like Logan International Airport. The Boston and Maine RR network stitches together well-established towns from Malden and Everett to Melrose, while large tracts of open space like the Middlesex Fells Reservation and Stoneham Zoological Park provide a stark contrast to the surrounding grid-pattern neighborhoods.

Water plays a central role in the geography of this sheet, from the industrialized banks of the Malden River and Mystic River to the inland waters of Spot Pond and Crystal Lake. Prominent institutions of the era are clearly visible, including Tufts College, the State Prison in Charlestown, and the Naval Hospital overlooking the Chelsea River. This survey offers a precise view of the Greater Boston area before the massive expansion of the modern interstate highway system altered the character of these historic communities.