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1945 Map of Rockport

Name: 1945 Topographic Map of Rockport
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1945
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1945

About this map

Thacher Island and its twin North Tower structures sit off the coast of this Essex County seafaring landscape, which was revised just after the war. The map reveals the dense coastal development of Rockport and Pigeon Cove, where the granite industry and maritime commerce shaped the shoreline. From the prominent heights of Pool Hill and Pigeon Hill to the jagged coastline at Halibut Pt, the terrain shows a mix of residential expansion and preserved open space like the Rockport Golf Club.

Navigation aids and maritime hazards are meticulously detailed, including the Straitsmouth Lighthouse and the appropriately named Dry Salvages ledges in Sandy Bay. Inland, the freshwater of Cape Pond and the wetlands of Briar Swamp provide a contrast to the salt spray of Long Beach and Good Harbor Beach. The presence of the Boston and Main railroad line underscores the area's vital connection to the larger regional economy of the mid-20th century.