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1956 Map of Boston

Name: 1956 Topographic Map of Boston
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1984
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1984

About this map

The industrial and transit hub of Boston anchors this mid-century survey, radiating outward through the complex urban corridors of Cambridge, Somerville, and Newton. This landscape is defined by the dense convergence of three major rail lines—the Boston and Maine RR, the New York New Haven and Hartford RR, and the Boston and Albany RR—which once facilitated the region's massive manufacturing output. Northward, the Merrimack River flows through the historic textile centers of Lawrence and Lowell, while the Nashua River and Concord River drain the rolling interior.

Beyond the urban core, the map reveals significant open spaces like Fort Devens Mil Res and the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge along Plum Island. Significant water management features such as the Wachusett Reservoir and Sudbury Reservoir demonstrate the infrastructure required to sustain the growing population of Eastern Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire during the post-war expansion.