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1951 Map of Tisbury Great Pond

Name: 1951 Topographic Map of Tisbury Great Pond
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1958
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1958

About this map

The south shore of Martha's Vineyard is defined by its extensive brackish ponds and complex shoreline in the early 1950s. Centered on Tisbury Great Pond, this coastal area spans the boundaries of Chilmark, West Tisbury, and Edgartown. The interior landscape reveals a network of ancient ways such as Kings Highway and Meetinghouse Road, which connect localized settlements like Nabs Corner to the agricultural and fishing grounds at the water's edge.

The map details the numerous coves branching from the main pond, including Deep Bottom Cove and Tiah Cove, separated by landforms like Scrubby Neck. This 1951 revision shows the shoreline before later modern development, preserving the locations of family-named landmarks such as Allen Pt and Cobbs Pt. The transition from the elevations of Ridge Hill down to the low-lying barrier beaches at Black Point Pond illustrates a landscape where land and the Atlantic Ocean are in constant negotiation.