Published in 1940 by the United States Geological Survey, “Scituate” presents a finely observed topographical portrait of the Massachusetts coast south of Boston at a moment when maritime villages, summer resorts, working harbors, and rural inland roads still shared the same landscape. At a scale of 1:31,680, the map captures Scituate and its neighboring communities with the disciplined precision that made USGS quadrangles indispensable to engineers, planners, geologists, and travelers. The coastline of Massachusetts Bay forms the map’s dramatic eastern edge, while the interior is articulated through contours, streams, marshes, roads, and settlement patterns. As a historical document, it preserves the physical and cultural geography of Scituate before later decades of suburban expansion reshaped much of the South Shore.

The United States Geological Survey brought to this map the institutional rigor of one of America’s most important scientific mapping agencies. Established in the nineteenth century to classify public lands and investigate the nation’s geology, the USGS became synonymous with the topographic quadrangle: a map that combined scientific measurement with everyday usefulness. In “Scituate,” that tradition is evident in the careful contour lines tracing the modest but consequential rises and depressions of the coastal terrain. Hills, valleys, wetlands, and shorelines are rendered not decoratively but analytically, allowing the viewer to read the land as a connected system. The map’s subtle use of color and shading conveys land use, vegetation, and relief, giving an unusually rich impression of the region’s environmental character.

Scituate itself occupies a storied place on the Massachusetts coast, long shaped by fishing, shipbuilding, coastal trade, and the hazards of the Atlantic. The map identifies Scituate Harbor, Cedar Point, Egypt Beach, Third Cliff, Fourth Cliff, and the vicinity of Scituate Light, all names that evoke the town’s maritime identity. The beaches and headlands shown here were not merely scenic features; they influenced livelihoods, settlement, transportation, and local memory. Scituate Light, standing guard near the harbor entrance, belongs to a coastal network of beacons that helped mariners navigate the reefs, shoals, and storm-prone waters of Massachusetts Bay. In this map, the shore is both boundary and lifeline, a restless edge where geography and history meet.

Beyond the harbor, the map extends across a varied South Shore landscape that includes North Scituate, Humarock, Marshfield, Minot Beach, and the landmark Lawson Tower. Rivers and brooks—among them the Weir River, Herring Brook, and the North River—thread through the terrain, revealing the hydrological structure beneath the pattern of roads and settlements. The North River in particular has deep associations with shipbuilding and coastal commerce, once supporting yards that produced vessels for regional and international trade. Humarock, set amid shifting sands and waterways, hints at the vulnerability and dynamism of barrier beaches. The map’s attention to these features makes it a record not only of place names, but of the natural systems that sustained and constrained coastal life.

As a 1940 topographical map, “Scituate” offers a valuable benchmark for understanding change along one of New England’s most historically resonant shorelines. It records the relationship between villages, roads, beaches, marshes, and uplands before postwar development intensified across the region. The careful rendering of contours and coastal forms allows modern viewers to compare past and present landscapes: altered shorelines, expanded residential areas, changing wetlands, and evolving patterns of access to the sea. Yet the map is more than a technical reference. Its balanced composition, crisp labeling, and intricate topographic detail give it quiet visual authority. It invites contemplation of Scituate as both a lived community and a coastal environment shaped by geology, water, weather, and human enterprise.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Scituate
• North Scituate
• Humarock
• Marshfield
• Scituate Harbor
• Cedar Point
• Egypt Beach
• Third Cliff
• Fourth Cliff
• Scituate Light
• Weir River
• Herring Brook
• North River
• Minot Beach
• Lawson Tower
• Massachusetts Bay
• Lighthouses
• Various identified roads and trails
• Coastal features

Historical context & cartographic details

• Historical 1:31,680 topographical map of Scituate, Massachusetts and the surrounding area.
• Created in 1940.
• Produced by the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
• The USGS is an important American mapping and geological sciences agency, known for topographical maps that provide historical, cultural, and ecological insight.
• Shows Scituate’s coastal features and surrounding geographical attributes.
• Scituate is known for its maritime history, beaches, and coastal landscapes, which have shaped the local economy and culture.
• Uses detailed contour lines to show elevation changes.
• Includes shading and color gradients to depict land use and vegetation types.
• Depicts hills, valleys, water bodies, and coastal lines.
• Serves as a historical comparison point for environmental and urban development changes in Scituate since 1940.

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.