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1918 Map of Framingham

Name: 1918 Topographic Map of Framingham
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1918
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1918

About this map

The Assabet River and Sudbury River converge near Concord, forming a landscape defined by expansive marshes like the Sedge Meadows and numerous glacial ponds. This 1918 progressive military sheet, compiled under Col. W. M. Black, reveals a sophisticated early 20th-century transportation network where the Fitchburg Railroad and Central Massachusetts lines intersect historic post-road landmarks like the Wayside Inn. The presence of the State Reformatory near Westvale and the State Prison in South Framingham highlights the institutional character of the era's regional planning.

Infrastructure for the growing Boston metropolitan area is prominent, with the Sudbury Aqueduct and Cochituate Aqueduct snaking across the terrain. From the heights of Nobscot Hill to the shores of Lake Walden, the map captures the transition of Middlesex County from a cluster of independent agrarian and mill villages like Saxonville and Rockland into a more integrated suburban and industrial corridor.