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1901 Map of Nantucket

Name: 1901 Topographic Map of Nantucket
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1940
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1940

About this map

Nantucket island is defined here by its late 19th-century coastal configuration, anchored by the dense street grid of the main settlement and the remote outposts of Siasconset and Wauwinet. The landscape is a complex network of glacial ponds and wetlands, from the large Long Pond in the west to Sessachacha Pond on the eastern shore. Of particular interest to transport historians is the Nantucket Central R. R., which links the main town to the South Shore at Surfside and extends eastward across the interior moors toward the coast.

Maritime infrastructure is prominently noted, including the Nantucket L.H. at Great Point and Range Lights guiding vessels into Nantucket Harbor. The map reveals the island's natural vulnerabilities and changing geography at the time of the 1887 survey, most notably at the Haulover Break near the Head of the Harbor. High points like Altar Rock Hills and Folger Hill provide the few relief markers on this low-lying Atlantic outpost.