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1951 Map of Vineyard Haven

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

USGS Topo · Published 1958

About this map

Marthas Vineyard in the early 1950s reveals a landscape defined by its coastal ponds and the transition from maritime navigation to modern aviation. The busy Vineyard Haven Harbor is anchored by the West Chop Lighthouse, while the interior of the island shows the developing Martha's Vineyard Airport carved out of the Marthas Vineyard State Forest.

Settlement patterns concentrate in Vineyard Haven and the smaller inland villages of North Tisbury and West Tisbury. The topography reflects a network of glacial ponds and streams like Mill Brook and Tiasquam River that drain into large south-shore estuaries such as Tisbury Great Pond. This survey, based on 1942 planetable work and 1951 revisions, captures the island just as post-war recreation and infrastructure began to reshape its historic farm and harbor character.