Published in 1984 from 1973 survey work, the US Geological Survey’s “Castine” captures a richly indented corner of coastal Maine at the precise, intimate scale of 1:24,000. Centered on the historic town of Castine, the map opens onto the meeting of land and tide around Penobscot Bay, where coves, points, islands, tidal streams, and wooded uplands form one of New England’s most evocative maritime landscapes. Its carefully drawn contours reveal the modest but meaningful relief of the peninsula and surrounding shores, while clear color distinctions separate water, woodland, settlement, and road networks. The result is both a scientific document and a portrait of a coastal community shaped by harbors, headlands, and centuries of seafaring life.

Castine itself is among the most historically layered towns on the Maine coast, and the map’s quiet topographic language hints at the strategic importance of its setting. Positioned near the mouth of the Penobscot River system and overlooking sheltered waters, Castine has been associated with French, Dutch, British, and American occupation, colonial rivalry, privateering, shipbuilding, and maritime trade. Its shoreline, roads, and surrounding elevations help explain why the place mattered: it commanded approaches, offered anchorage, and connected inland routes with the wider Atlantic world. In the town’s compact geography, one can read the interplay of defense, commerce, and coastal settlement that made Penobscot Bay a significant theater in early American and colonial history.

The US Geological Survey’s cartographic discipline gives the map its authority and appeal. Founded to classify public lands and study the nation’s geology, resources, and natural hazards, the USGS became the preeminent maker of American topographic maps, prized for their combination of accuracy, standardization, and visual clarity. Here, the familiar USGS style translates the Maine coast into a finely ordered system of contour lines, hydrography, roads, trails, and place names. Elevation is not dramatized but measured, allowing hills, valleys, shore bluffs, and low coastal flats to emerge with understated precision. This is cartography made for navigation, planning, field science, and historical memory alike.

Beyond Castine, the map extends across a landscape of working towns, tidal passages, and coastal approaches. Brooksville and Penobscot appear amid a rural fabric of roads, woodland, and shoreline, while Orland and Verona Island connect the map to the broader Penobscot River corridor. Fort Point Cove and the waters of Penobscot Bay anchor the composition, emphasizing the region’s maritime orientation. Tidal inlets and narrow channels complicate the coastline, reminding the viewer that movement here has long depended on both land routes and waterborne passage. The careful placement of roads and trails reveals patterns of local settlement, while the surrounding contours show how communities adapted to the natural grain of the terrain.

As a document of the 1970s landscape, the “Castine” quadrangle preserves a moment in the evolution of coastal Maine before later decades of development, conservation, and changing land use altered parts of the region. Its details invite comparison between past and present: roads that have shifted in importance, shorefronts that have grown more desirable, wooded tracts that may have changed hands, and communities whose historic cores endure amid modern pressures. The map’s beauty lies in this dual character. It is at once a practical topographic record and a refined historical artifact, illuminating the physical setting of Castine and Penobscot Bay with the measured elegance that defines the finest USGS mapping.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Castine
• Brooksville
• Penobscot
• Stockton Springs
• Fort Point Cove
• Penobscot Bay
• Verona Island
• Orland
• Tidal streams and inlets
• Roads and trails in the area

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the US Geological Survey
• Historical 1:24,000 topographical map
• Shows Castine, Maine and the surrounding area
• Dated 1973 and published in 1984
• Castine is a historic coastal town known for its maritime history and significant architectural sites
• Features detailed topographic contours illustrating elevation changes
• Uses clear color coding for land use and water features
• Highlights hills, valleys, coastal features, and other terrain variations
• Reflects the geographical understanding and mapping techniques of the 1970s
• Shows how the Castine area has evolved in terms of development and land use since publication

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.