1957 Map of Heislerville

About this map

The State Prison Farm and the surrounding marshy lowlands of the Maurice River township define this coastal New Jersey landscape during the mid-20th century. Extensive wetlands, carved by the Riggins Ditch and West Creek, separate the established settlements of Heislerville and Delmont from the Delaware Bay shoreline. Along the coast, small outposts like Thompsons Beach and Moores Beach provide access to the water, while the interior is dominated by the sprawling Belleplain State Forest and the State Hunting and Fishing Grounds. The map reveals a localized industrial and educational infrastructure, including Hands Millpond, the Pickle Factory Pond, and the Eldora Sch in the village of Eldora. The transition from forest to salt marsh is marked by the Old Grade RR and a network of rural routes such as Delsea Drive, showing the era's transport patterns before modern coastal development intensified.