1944 Map of Essex

About this map

The coastal shoreline of Long Island Sound meets the lower Connecticut River valley in this 1939 survey of the Middlesex County region. The rail corridor of the New York New Haven and Hartford railroad bisects the landscape, connecting the industrial centers of Ivoryton and Centerbrook to the coastal transport hub at Old Saybrook. Along the coast, a dense string of seasonal and permanent settlements including Knollwood, Saybrook Manor, and Westbrook are defined by their proximity to public beaches like Quotonset Beach and Chalker Beach. Inland, the terrain is shaped by a complex network of reservoirs and ponds such as Pratt Reed Reservoir and Bushy Hill Pond, which supported the area's early manufacturing economy. Genealogists will find significant detail in the placement of civic anchors like the Winthrop School and Winthrop Church, alongside numerous burial grounds including Cypress Cem and Mill Meadows Cem.