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1959 Map of Richmond

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

USGS Topo · Published 1959

About this map

Richmond sits at the head of navigation on the James River, serving as a central hub for major rail lines including the Richmond Fredericksburg & Potomac RR and the Chesapeake & Ohio Ry. The mid-century landscape is defined by the heavy military presence in the Tidewater and Piedmont regions, anchored by installations such as Camp Pickett near Blackstone and Fort Monroe overlooking the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay.

Coastal geography dominates the eastern portion of the map, where the Potomac River, Rappahannock River, and York River carve deep into the Virginia shoreline. These waterways historically dictated the development of colonial-era towns like Williamsburg, Yorktown, and Tappahannock. The complex estuarine system is further illustrated by detailed hydrographic features such as Mobjack Bay, Fleets Bay, and the remote Tangier Island.