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1944 Map of Small Point

Name: 1944 Topographic Map of Small Point
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1944
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1944

About this map

The rocky peninsulas and intricate island chains of Harpswell and Phippsburg dominate this coastal survey, conducted just as the nation entered the Second World War. The landscape is defined by its maritime orientation, where the Atlantic Ocean carves out deep-water inlets like Atkins Bay and Stage Island Bay. Land travel is channeled along narrow fingers of land reaching toward the sea, terminating at established coastal outposts like Popham Beach and Small Point.

Strategic navigation remains central to the area's identity, evidenced by the numerous named hazards and landmarks such as Saddleback Ledge, Bold Dick, and White Bull. Inland, the geography is a mixture of tidal marsh and elevation, with Morse Mtn standing near the mouth of the Morse River. The map preserves the specific locations of isolated island communities at Bailey Island and Orrs I, connected to the mainland by the Wells Strait corridor. The layout of Hunniwell Beach and Head Beach illustrates the traditional shoreline use before mid-century development altered many Maine coastal stretches.