Titled “Sharon Quadrangle,” this finely detailed US Geological Survey topographical map was created from 1948 mapping and issued with a 1956 imprint, preserving a mid-century portrait of Connecticut’s northwestern hill country. At a scale of 1:31,680, it centers on Sharon, Lakeville, and Salisbury, three communities set amid the wooded uplands, lakes, ridgelines, and valleys near the Housatonic River. The map captures a landscape still defined by rural roads, farm clearings, forest tracts, and village centers, before later waves of development altered parts of the region. Its careful depiction of settlement, water, terrain, and routeways makes it both a cartographic document and an evocative record of the Litchfield County countryside.

Produced by the US Geological Survey, the map reflects the agency’s authoritative mid-twentieth-century style: precise, functional, and quietly elegant. Contour lines articulate the shape of the land with remarkable clarity, tracing the rise and fall of Sharon Mountain, the rugged ground toward Mount Riga, and the escarpments that define this corner of Connecticut. Roads, trails, waterways, wooded areas, and state forest designations are integrated into a disciplined visual language designed for surveyors, planners, hikers, and local officials alike. The result is a map that reveals not merely where places are, but how they sit in relation to slopes, drainage, elevation, and the natural structure of the terrain.

The lakes and ponds shown across the quadrangle lend the map much of its character. Wononskopomuc Lake at Lakeville, long associated with recreation and summer residences, appears as a central landmark, while Hatch Pond, Lake Ashubet, Cattail Lake, and other smaller waters punctuate the surrounding hills. These features help explain the settlement patterns visible on the map: roads curve around shorelines, villages cluster near easier ground, and open spaces give way to forested ridges. The Housatonic River, one of western New England’s defining waterways, anchors the wider geography, tying the Connecticut uplands to a broader corridor of industry, agriculture, transport, and natural beauty.

Sharon, Salisbury, and Lakeville occupy a historically rich borderland, where Connecticut’s rural traditions meet the mountainous terrain of the Taconic region. The map shows a countryside of dispersed neighborhoods, small road junctions, remnants of older village patterns, and access routes leading toward hills, forests, and water. State forest markings and trail-like routes suggest the growing mid-century appreciation of conservation and outdoor recreation, even as the map remains rooted in practical surveying. In its depiction of ridgelines and wooded slopes, one can read the legacy of farming, timber, iron-related activity, and later retreat culture that shaped this part of Litchfield County over several centuries.

As a historical document, the “Sharon Quadrangle” offers a compelling comparison between the landscape of 1948 and the region known today. Its roads and settlements reveal a quieter, less densely altered countryside, while its contouring captures the enduring framework beneath all later change. The map is especially appealing for those drawn to the rural Northwest Corner of Connecticut: its lakeside enclaves, mountain roads, forest preserves, and old New England place names. Combining scientific precision with the understated beauty of USGS design, it presents Sharon, Lakeville, and Salisbury as a landscape of elevation, water, and memory—measured with care, yet alive with historical atmosphere.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Sharon, Connecticut
• Lakeville, Connecticut
• Salisbury, Connecticut
• Wononskopomuc Lake
• Hatch Pond
• Lake Ashubet
• Housatonic River
• Cattail Lake
• Mount Riga
• Sharon Mountain
• Undulating terrain features
• Various roads and trails
• Forested areas
• Escarpments and ridgelines
• State Forest designations
• Several unnamed village remnants and neighborhoods

Historical context & cartographic details

• Titled Sharon Quadrangle
• Produced by the US Geological Survey
• Historical 1:31,680 topographical map
• Dated 1948 and published with a 1956 imprint
• Shows mid-20th-century land use and landscape features
• Provides insight into later changes such as urban development, infrastructure expansion, and shifts in land use
• Uses detailed contour lines and varied shading to indicate elevation changes
• Reflects the USGS topographical mapping style, with careful attention to terrain, elevation, and natural features
• Useful for understanding the rural, scenic character of western Connecticut’s landscape
• Highlights the region’s lakes, hills, wooded areas, and varied topography

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 18x24in (45x60cm) 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.