Published in 1951 using contemporary U.S. Geological Survey data, the map titled “Woodbury” presents a finely resolved 1:24,000 topographical portrait of southern New Jersey’s settled landscape. Centered on the Woodbury area and its neighboring communities, it records a region poised between older agricultural patterns, expanding suburban development, and the industrial influence of the Delaware River corridor. The sheet’s careful USGS execution makes roads, rail lines, streams, elevation contours, and built-up areas legible at a glance, while still retaining the richness expected of a mid-century government survey. As a historical document, it captures the early 1950s moment when places such as West Deptford, East Greenwich, Mantua, Harrison, and Bethel were increasingly connected to broader metropolitan and commercial networks.

The U.S. Geological Survey brought to this map the precision and authority that made its quadrangles indispensable to planners, engineers, conservationists, and travelers. Founded in the late nineteenth century to systematically understand the nation’s terrain and natural resources, the USGS developed a cartographic language of remarkable clarity: measured contours, standardized symbols, disciplined typography, and a restrained but informative palette. On “Woodbury,” that language translates the complexity of Gloucester County’s terrain into an elegant visual system. Shades of green, brown, and blue distinguish wooded land, relief, and waterways, while the contour lines reveal the subtle rises and falls of a landscape that might otherwise appear deceptively flat.

The area depicted is especially compelling for the way it balances town, countryside, and river-oriented infrastructure. West Deptford and East Greenwich occupy positions within the economic orbit of the Delaware River, a waterway that shaped settlement, transportation, and industry throughout the region. Local streams and smaller waterways lace the map, feeding the broader drainage patterns that influenced farming, road placement, and neighborhood growth. Mantua and Harrison appear within a patchwork of rural roads, settlement clusters, and open land, suggesting a landscape in transition. Bethel and other smaller localities add texture to the map, marking the social geography of schools, crossroads, churches, and communities that anchored everyday life.

Viewed historically, this 1951 map offers a revealing snapshot of postwar New Jersey. The years after World War II brought automobile-oriented growth, new housing, improved roads, and changing demographics across the state, and these shifts are quietly legible in the map’s network of routes and developed areas. Rail lines still speak to an older industrial and commuter geography, while road patterns hint at the increasing dominance of motor travel. Red Bank, historically significant as a Monmouth County center of commerce, culture, arts, and entertainment, belongs to the same broader story of New Jersey towns adapting to mid-century change—though this Woodbury sheet focuses on the Delaware River side of that evolving regional landscape.

Cartographically, the pleasure of “Woodbury” lies in its combination of exactitude and atmosphere. The contour intervals give form to low hills and shallow valleys, while marshy or stream-fed areas are differentiated with the visual discipline characteristic of USGS topographic work. Urban footprints, rural parcels, transportation corridors, parks, and recreational spaces are all integrated into a coherent geographic composition. This is not merely a utilitarian survey; it is a mid-century record of land use, mobility, and human settlement rendered with quiet sophistication. For collectors of New Jersey maps, it preserves a formative moment before later highway expansion and suburban intensification transformed much of the region’s visible character.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Red Bank, NJ
• West Deptford, NJ
• East Greenwich, NJ
• Mantua, NJ
• Harrison, NJ
• Bethel, NJ
• Delaware River
• Various roads and railway lines
• Adjacent parks and recreational areas
• Local streams and waterways

Historical context & cartographic details

• Titled Woodbury.
• Historical 1:24,000 topographical map using U.S. Geological Survey data dated 1951.
• Published in 1951.
• Produced by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), known for detailed geographic data and mapping used in planning, environmental work, and recreation.
• Shows Red Bank and surrounding communities.
• Red Bank is noted as a historic center for commerce and culture in Monmouth County, with arts and entertainment venues.
• Uses a clear color scheme with shades of green, brown, and blue to distinguish landforms, relief, and waterways.
• Includes detailed contour and elevation information.
• Depicts hills, valleys, waterways, urban areas, and land use patterns.
• Reflects early 1950s urban development, infrastructure, and demographic change in the region.
• The precise cartographic execution reflects the professional style characteristic of USGS maps.

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.