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1947 Map of Chatham

Name: 1947 Topographic Map of Chatham
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1947
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1947

About this map

The Great Swamp dominates the northern landscape of this 1947 survey, its expansive marshlands and brooks such as Black Brook providing a natural buffer between the burgeoning residential communities of Morris and Union Counties. To the south, the Passaic River snakes through a corridor of industry and transit, supporting a string of settlements including Gillette, Stirling, and Berkley Heights. This post-war era shows a region in transition, where large-scale institutions like the U S Veterans Hospital and the Bonnie Burn Sanatorium sit alongside an emerging network of recreational spaces and golf courses.

Transportation infrastructure is centered on the Lackawanna RR and the Morris and Essex Division, which facilitated the growth of suburbs like Madison and Chatham. Institutional landmarks such as Mt St Marys Academy and the extensive Watchung Reservation highlight the communal development of the Watchung Mountains foothills. The map also documents a notable concentration of greenhouses near Madison and New Providence, reflecting a specialized local agricultural industry that once thrived in this corner of New Jersey.