Loading map...

1937 Map of Point Lookout

Name: 1937 Topographic Map of Point Lookout
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1963
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1963

About this map

St Marys River and the sweeping reaches of the Chesapeake Bay define this coastal landscape at the southernmost tip of Maryland's western shore. The map records a maritime economy in transition, where numerous piers and landings such as Broomes Wharf, Grason Wharf, and Benville Wharf served as vital links for small communities like Wynne and St Inigoes. The peninsula narrows significantly toward the south, terminating at the prominent lighthouse site of Point Lookout, which guards the entrance to the Potomac River.

Inland, the settlement pattern follows the high ground between tidal creeks, with established locales like Great Mills, Park Hall, and Ridge connected by early road networks. The intricate shoreline of St George Island and the sheltered waters of Cornfield Harbor reflect the region's deep-rooted reliance on the water. This 1937 survey, incorporating data revised through 1942, captures the rural character of St. Mary's County before late-20th-century modernization.