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1948 Map of Boston

Name: 1948 Topographic Map of Boston
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1948
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1948

About this map

The coastal defensive landscape of the late 1940s is starkly visible in this regional study, which highlights a dense network of harbor fortifications protecting Boston. Batteries and military installations like Fort Independence, Fort Warren, and Fort Revere line the approach to the city through Massachusetts Bay and Broad Sound. This era reveals a Massachusetts interior defined by mature industrial hubs and integrated infrastructure, where the Merrimack River supports the manufacturing centers of Lowell and Haverhill while the Wachusett Reservoir serves as a critical hydrological anchor for the growing metropolitan region.

The map captures a specific moment of post-war transit, documenting the reach of the Boston and Maine and New Haven and Hartford railroads before the full expansion of the interstate system. From the maritime heritage of Gloucester on Cape Ann to the inland industrial reaches of Worcester and Woonsocket, the settlement patterns shown here reflect centuries of growth oriented around water power and rail access.