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1947 Map of Providence

Name: 1947 Topographic Map of Providence
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1976
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1976

About this map

Providence serves as the focal point of this coastal survey, where the Blackstone River meets the head of Narragansett Bay. The landscape is dominated by a dense network of post-war infrastructure, showing the New York New Haven and Hartford RR connecting industrial centers like Pawtucket, Fall River, and New Bedford. This period marks a significant military footprint in the region, with the Quonset Point Naval Air Station and Newport Naval Base occupying strategic positions along the shoreline.

Beyond the urban corridors, the map captures the transition of the Massachusetts and Rhode Island coast into a recreational and conservation landscape. Large tracts of protected land appear, including the Cape Cod National Seashore and Myles Standish State Forest. The islands of Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket Island, and Block Island are mapped in detail, showing their relationship to the mainland via ferry routes and sound-side settlements like Woods Hole and Vineyard Haven.