Loading map...

1943 Map of Cape Ann

Name: 1943 Topographic Map of Cape Ann
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1943
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1943

About this map

The Mass - N H State Line divides this coastal region, where the industrial and maritime centers of the North Shore meet southern New Hampshire during the early 1940s. The Boston & Maine RR serves as the primary corridor for commerce and travel, connecting established towns like Newburyport and Exeter with the agricultural interior. Along the Atlantic shoreline, prominent navigational aids such as Newburyport Light, Ipswich Light, and Squam Light define a landscape of barrier beaches and rocky points, including the extensive Plum Island and Castle Neck.

Inland, the mapping reveals a dense network of local communities and family-named landmarks. Small settlements such as Asbury Grove, Chaplinville, and Putnamville represent the local-scale organization of the era, while the Exeter River and Merrimac River systems illustrate how natural waterways dictated early industrial development. Large tracts of protected land like the Willow Dale State Forest highlight the early conservation efforts that preserved the character of the Essex Co and Rockingham Co countryside amid ongoing suburbanization.