Old Map of Block Island, Rhode Island by USGS, 1957 – New Shoreham, Great Salt Pond & Mohegan Bluffs

Titled “Block Island,” this US Geological Survey topographical map was originally created in 1957 and issued with a 1973 imprint, preserving a mid-twentieth-century portrait of Rhode Island’s storied offshore island. At a detailed 1:24,000 scale, it presents Block Island not as a picturesque abstraction but as a measured landscape of roads, ponds, beaches, bluffs, farms, and maritime landmarks. The island’s compact geography is framed by the Atlantic Ocean and Block Island Sound, while the map’s disciplined USGS style gives equal importance to settlement, shoreline, elevation, and infrastructure. New Shoreham, the island’s only town, anchors the human geography, surrounded by a finely observed pattern of coastal routes, private roads, open spaces, and named natural features.

The US Geological Survey brought a distinctive authority to American cartography, combining scientific precision with a restrained visual language that remains instantly recognizable. Founded in the nineteenth century to map the nation’s geology and natural resources, the USGS became especially known for its topographic quadrangles: maps designed for engineers, planners, educators, hikers, and anyone needing to understand the physical shape of the land. On this map, contour lines trace Block Island’s subtle but dramatic relief, from low-lying beaches and ponds to the elevated southern headlands. The color palette distinguishes land, water, built features, and terrain with clarity, creating a document that is both utilitarian and quietly elegant.

Block Island’s coastline is the map’s great organizing feature, and the cartography reveals how varied that shoreline truly is. Sandy Point extends from the island’s northern end toward North Light, while West Beach and Crescent Beach define long, open strands exposed to wind, tide, and Atlantic weather. Old Harbor appears as a central maritime gateway, historically vital to ferries, fishing, and seasonal visitors. Great Salt Pond, nearly enclosed within the island’s interior, is one of the most striking features: a sheltered body of water that shaped Block Island’s navigation, ecology, and development. Smaller ponds, including Lakes Pond and Ensign Pond, add further texture to the island’s glacial and coastal landscape.

The map also captures Block Island’s celebrated high ground and dramatic southern scenery. The Mohegan Bluffs and nearby Bluffs are rendered through contours that make clear the abrupt meeting of elevated land and sea, an iconic edge of the island where geology, legend, and ocean weather converge. South Light, also known as Southeast Lighthouse, stands in this commanding southern landscape, a landmark of navigation and preservation. Rodman’s Hollow, Mitchell Farm, Clay Head, Ball O’Fire, and other named places evoke an island still strongly shaped by open land, footpaths, farmsteads, and vernacular place names. Roads such as Corn Neck Road, Beach Avenue, and North Lighthouse Road connect these features in a sparse but legible network.

As a historical document, this map offers a compelling view of Block Island before many later patterns of development, tourism, conservation, and environmental change became more pronounced. Its mid-century survey information preserves the placement of the Coast Guard Station, lighthouses, beaches, farms, ponds, and local roads at a particular moment in the island’s modern history. For collectors, it is especially appealing because Block Island is both geographically self-contained and culturally resonant: a small, wind-shaped Atlantic world rendered with scientific care. The map’s topographic detail invites close reading, whether following a road toward North Light, studying the contours above Mohegan Bluffs, or tracing the fragile boundary between dunes, pond, harbor, and open sea.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Block Island
• New Shoreham
• Great Salt Pond
• North Light
• South Light / Southeast Lighthouse
• Coast Guard Station
• Sandy Point
• Crescent Beach
• Ball O’Fire
• Old Harbor
• West Beach
• Clay Head
• Rodman’s Hollow
• The Mohegan Bluffs
• Beach Avenue
• Corn Neck Road
• Lakes Pond
• Ensign Pond
• Mitchell Farm
• North Lighthouse Road
• Atlantic Ocean
• Block Island Sound
• Various trails and private roads
• Farms and open spaces marked in the cartographic detail

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the US Geological Survey as a historical 1:24,000 topographical map.
• Originally created in 1957 and published with a 1973 imprint.
• Shows Rhode Island’s Block Island area with populated places, beaches, landmarks, and surrounding waters.
• Includes contour lines to depict elevation and landform changes.
• Uses a distinctive topographic color palette to distinguish land, water bodies, and mapped features.
• Depicts terrain, coastal features, elevation variations, and nearby water depths.
• Reflects the mid-20th-century geographical and infrastructural state of the island.
• Useful for comparison with later development, land-use changes, and environmental conditions.

Looking for a particular place? Review the detailed images to confirm that the town, landmark or feature you have in mind appears on the map. If you are unsure, ask our workshop to check before you order.

Detailed maps are especially rewarding at larger sizes, where names, boundaries and decorative features have more room to be appreciated. Use the close-up preview and size guide to choose the right scale for your wall.

This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 50in (125cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.

The model in the listing images is holding the 16x20in (40x50cm) version of this map.

Where personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. See personalised map examples.

Every piece is printed to museum-grade archival standards using fade-resistant pigment inks on acid-free matte paper. Choose an unframed map print, framed map or canvas using the finish options above. Framed maps use crystal-clear optical acrylic and arrive ready to hang.

With its rich detail and strong sense of place, this map makes a considered gift for a new home, anniversary, retirement or anyone with a personal connection to the area shown. Still deciding? Explore our collection of rare old and vintage maps to discover another place, period or style.