1956 Map of Fortescue

About this map

Fortescue stands as a distinct coastal settlement along the Delaware Bay shoreline, positioned at the edge of the vast salt marshes of Downe. The landscape is defined by an intricate network of tidal waterways, including Fortescue Creek and Oranoaken Creek, which carve through the Fortescue State Wildlife Management Area and Egg Island State Wildlife Management Area. This 1956 topography, revised in 1972, highlights the precarious nature of this marshy environment, where landmarks like False Egg Island Point and Beadons Point mark the shifting boundary between land and sea. Inland, the map reveals numerous small ponds and ditches, such as Wilmas Pond and Elder Ditch, suggesting a historical reliance on these wetlands for fishing and drainage before later conservation efforts solidified the region's character as a protected wildlife habitat.