Loading map...

1893 Map of New Bedford

Name: 1893 Topographic Map of New Bedford
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1917
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1917

About this map

The maritime identity of New Bedford and its surrounding coastal towns is defined here by a dense network of harbor infrastructure and early industrial rail lines. The Acushnet River serves as the central artery, separating the city from Fairhaven and providing access to the deep waters of New Bedford Harbor. At the mouth of these waters, Clark Point Light and Neds Point Light stand as essential navigational markers for the shipping and whaling vessels that frequented Buzzards Bay.

Inland, the landscape transitions from the busy docks of Popes Id to the manufacturing and agricultural hubs at Turners Mills and Rockdale. The transportation corridor is anchored by the New Bedford Branch of Old Colony Railroad, which connects the coastal terminals to rural outposts like Braleys Station. Extensive wetlands, including the Acushnet Cedar Swamp and Great Cedar Swamp, illustrate the natural constraints on late 19th-century development between the harbor and the interior reaches of Rochester and Marion.