1893 Map of New London

About this map

The Thames River serves as the central artery for this 1890s survey, anchoring the maritime and industrial identity of New London and Groton. At the mouth of the river, Pt Trumbull and the U.S. Naval Station mark the strategic significance of the harbor. The landscape is a network of coastal settlements and inland hills, where the Norwich and Worcester Railroad and the Shore Line Division facilitated the movement of goods and people across the region. Small villages like Uncasville, Montville, and Flanders Village appear alongside numerous brooks and ponds, such as Oxoboxo Lake and Powers Lake, which likely powered local mills. To the east, the Poquonoc Plains and the Poquonoc Bridge area show a mix of marshy lowlands and rising terrain, including Fort Hill. This map captures the late 19th-century transition of the Connecticut coast as it balanced its deep-water naval traditions with an expanding rail-based economy.