Published in 1981 using survey data from the same year, the US Geological Survey’s “Blue Hill” presents a finely detailed topographical portrait of coastal Maine at 1:24,000 scale. Centered on the town of Blue Hill, the map captures the meeting of land and tidewater with the precision characteristic of late twentieth-century federal mapping. Blue Hill Harbor and the broader sweep of Blue Hill Bay anchor the composition, while Long Island, wooded shorelines, roads, and inland elevations establish the area’s layered geography. The map is both practical and evocative: a record of settlements, routes, contours, and waterways at a moment when the rural and maritime character of Hancock County remained closely tied to its historic landscape.

The US Geological Survey, founded in 1879, brought a scientific rigor to American cartography that transformed how the nation’s terrain was measured, classified, and understood. By the time this map was issued, the USGS topographic quadrangle had become one of the definitive forms of American landscape documentation. “Blue Hill” exemplifies that tradition, using contour lines, symbols, and carefully differentiated land and water features to make the terrain legible. Rather than emphasizing political boundaries or decorative flourish, the map reveals the structure of the place itself: ridges, coves, valleys, shore roads, forested tracts, and the small-scale infrastructure that shaped everyday life along this part of the Maine coast.

Blue Hill’s topography is especially well suited to the USGS style. The named town lies amid a varied landscape of wooded slopes, lowlands, harbor edges, and inland waters, all articulated through precise contouring. The map’s elevation lines draw attention to the hills and valleys that give the region its distinct character, while shaded and patterned areas clarify the alternation between forest, settlement, and aquatic environments. Roads and trails, rendered with solid and dashed linework, trace the practical geography of movement through the area. Their presence suggests both established routes and more modest paths threading through rural terrain, offering a glimpse into how residents and visitors navigated this coastal interior in 1981.

The maritime setting is one of the map’s most compelling features. Blue Hill Harbor appears as a sheltered indentation along the larger expanse of Blue Hill Bay, a coastal environment shaped by tides, islands, peninsulas, and irregular shorelines. Long Island and other coastal forms contribute to a sense of complexity at the water’s edge, where navigation, fishing, and settlement have long depended on intimate knowledge of channels and harbors. Inland, smaller lakes, streams, and wet areas enrich the landscape, showing how water organizes the region not only along the coast but also through its uplands and valleys. The result is a nuanced image of Maine as both maritime and wooded, settled and still deeply natural.

As a historical document, this 1981 map offers a valuable benchmark for observing change. Its depiction of Blue Hill, Surry, surrounding roads, forested areas, shoreline features, and minor landmarks preserves the geography of the area before subsequent decades of development, conservation activity, and environmental change. Comparing it with modern mapping can reveal altered road networks, shifting land use, new construction, or changes in the interpretation of wetlands and shorelines. Yet beyond its documentary value, “Blue Hill” has an understated elegance: the disciplined language of contour, symbol, and place name turns a working survey into a richly textured portrait of one of Maine’s quietly beautiful coastal landscapes.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Blue Hill
• Blue Hill Harbor
• Blue Hill Bay
• Long Island
• Surry
• Lakes, rivers, and smaller bodies of water
• Surrounding forested areas
• Roads and trails
• Nearby hills and valleys
• Various unnamed landmarks and geographical features

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the US Geological Survey and imprinted in 1981
• Historical 1:24,000 topographical map of Blue Hill, Maine and the surrounding area
• Integrates survey data from 1981
• The US Geological Survey was established in 1879 and is central to mapping and studying United States landscapes
• Features contour lines to represent elevation changes
• Uses shading and patterning to give detailed representations of terrain
• Shows a diverse landscape combining wooded areas, aquatic environments, hills, and valleys
• Useful as a historical reference for changes in land use, urban development, and environmental conditions over time

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.

This map is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The map is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present a map without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas maps and explore the differences between my different finishes.

For something truly unique, this map is also available in "Unique 3D", our trademarked process that dramatically transforms the map so that it has a wonderful sense of depth. We combine the original map with detailed topography and elevation data, so that mountains and the terrain really "pop". For more info and examples of 3D maps, check my Unique 3D page.