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1959 Map of Portland

Name: 1959 Topographic Map of Portland
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1959
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1959

About this map

The coastal defenses and shipping lanes of the Atlantic Ocean anchor this mid-century survey, ranging from the maritime hub of Portland down to the historic harbor at Portsmouth. The map details a landscape defined by its deep-water access and military significance, featuring numerous installations such as Fort Williams and Fort McKinley, along with essential navigational markers like the Halfway Rock Lighthouse. Inland, the terrain shifts from the developed corridors of the Boston and Maine RR to the expansive waters of Lake Winnipesaukee and Sebago Lake.

Industrial and transit networks are evident in the concentration of settlements like Manchester and Concord along the Merrimack River. This era shows a region balanced between its colonial maritime roots and the postwar expansion of U S Highway 1, while the northern reaches remain dominated by the White Mountain National Forest, preserving the wooded character of the New Hampshire and Maine borderlands.