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1953 Map of Quonochontaug

Name: 1953 Topographic Map of Quonochontaug
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1953
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1953

About this map

The U S Naval Auxiliary Air Station dominates the coastal landscape between Ninigret Pond and the upland woods of Charlestown in the early 1950s. This period shows a shoreline in transition, where established seasonal communities like Quonochontaug and Shelter Harbor sit adjacent to wartime infrastructure and large public tracts such as the Burlingame Reservation. The map details the complex geography of the Rhode Island coast, from the narrow barrier of East Beach to the intricate coves of the salt ponds.

Automobile culture is evident in the inclusion of the Drive-In Theater along the Post Road and the developing network of the Scenic Highway. To the west, the Woody Hill Reservation and smaller water bodies like Dam Pond provide a stark contrast to the developed beach heads at Charlestown Beach. The presence of a Boys Camp near Watchaug Pond underscores the area's mid-century role as a regional destination for recreation and military operations alike.