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1949 Map of Gunpowder

Name: 1949 Topographic Map of Gunpowder
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1955
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1955

About this map

The Gunpowder River and its numerous tributary creeks define the complex shoreline of the upper Chesapeake Bay in this post-war Maryland landscape. Significant infrastructure of the era is visible, including the massive Army Chemical Center and the US Army Signal Corps facilities near Bengies Point. The map captures the industrial and military footprint that shaped the region, contrasted with rural crossroads and long-standing educational landmarks like the McComas Institute.

Transit networks are well established, with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and Pennsylvania Railroad providing heavy rail access alongside U.S. Highway 40. Residential developments such as Stansbury Manor and Gray Manor show the suburbanization of the Middle River Neck during the late 1940s. Inland, small rural centers like Baldwin, Gittings, and Glenarm maintain a traditional character, centered around churches like Jerusalem Ch and St Marys Ch.