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1942 Map of Cobb Island

Name: 1942 Topographic Map of Cobb Island
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1952
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1952

About this map

The barrier islands and vast salt marshes of Virginia's Eastern Shore appear here just as the Army Map Service and Coast and Geodetic Survey documented them during the early 1940s. Centered on Cobb Island, the map reveals a fragile maritime landscape defined by shifting dunes and a complex network of tidal guts and bays. Navigational aids like The Spit Light and Mikes Sand Light indicate the vital importance of the Sand Shoal Channel to local mariners navigating the transition from the Atlantic Ocean into the protected waters of Cobb Bay.

Genealogists and local historians can trace the intricate geography of family-named landforms and wetlands, including Elkins Marsh, Man and Boy Marsh, and the curiously named Parchaby Tump. The map's detail extends to early infrastructure, marking a Telephone line and a Cable Area stretching across the inlets to connect these isolated coastal outposts. The presence of Mockhorn Island and Wreck Island further illustrates the dynamic, storm-swept nature of the Northampton coast before modern shoreline stabilization.