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1957 Map of Providence

Name: 1957 Topographic Map of Providence
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1957
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1957

About this map

Providence serves as the metropolitan anchor for this mid-century survey of southern New England's coastal reaches. The map illustrates the region's heavy reliance on its maritime geography, with the urban industrial centers of Pawtucket and Fall River clustered around Narragansett Bay and Mount Hope Bay. Coastal defense and aviation are prominent features of the Cold War era landscape, noted by the presence of Quonset Point Naval Air Station and Otis Air Force Base, alongside legacy fortifications like Fort Adams guarding Newport Harbor.

The survey captures the islands and peninsulas before the peak of modern development, showing the remote character of Block Island and the rural stretches of Marthas Vineyard and Nantucket Island. The complex rail network of the New York, New Haven & Hartford RR still provides the primary transit spine connecting New Bedford and Taunton to the mainland interior, while smaller settlements like Siasconset and Woods Hole mark the limits of the seaward frontier.