Published in 1945 by the U.S. Geological Survey, “Bluffton” presents the South Carolina and Georgia Lowcountry at a compelling historical moment, just as the United States emerged from World War II with renewed attention to coastal geography, infrastructure, and strategic planning. At a 1:62,500 scale, the map captures Bluffton, Hilton Head Island, Tybee Island, Daufuskie Island, and the intricate waterways that define this tidal landscape. Its subject is not a single town so much as an entire coastal system: rivers, sounds, marshes, islands, roads, trails, and ocean approaches woven together in precise mid-century cartographic language. The result is a richly informative portrait of a region balanced between rural isolation, maritime tradition, and the coming decades of development.

The U.S. Geological Survey was, by 1945, the nation’s authoritative mapper of terrain, producing topographical sheets essential to engineers, planners, soldiers, scientists, and local governments. This map reflects that institutional precision: elevation contours are carefully drawn, roads and trails are plainly registered, and water features receive particular emphasis in a landscape where land and sea constantly intermingle. The cartographic style is characteristic of the period, using clear color distinctions to separate landforms, water bodies, marshlands, and human routes. Unlike decorative earlier maps, this is a working document of measured observation, yet it has a quiet elegance of its own. Its fine network of creeks, channels, and coastal margins reveals the Lowcountry as a place best understood through topography and tide.

Bluffton itself appears near the May River, a setting that explains much of the town’s historic character and enduring appeal. Long associated with river life, fishing, boating, and antebellum coastal settlement, Bluffton occupies a strategic position between inland South Carolina and the barrier islands edging the Atlantic. Nearby Hilton Head Island is shown before its transformation into a celebrated resort destination, when its landscape was still marked more by roads, marsh, woods, and shoreline than by modern development. Calibogue Sound, separating Hilton Head from Daufuskie Island and the mainland, forms one of the map’s most important geographical features. Its channels and tidal flats evoke the navigational complexity that has shaped local commerce, settlement, and military awareness for generations.

To the south, Tybee Island and Little Tybee Island anchor the Georgia side of the map, guarding the approaches to the Savannah River and the Atlantic Ocean. The “End of the Tybee Roads” marks a historically significant maritime area, associated with coastal navigation, anchorage, and the seaward entrance toward Savannah. The inclusion of Bull River, Wassaw Island, and surrounding marshlands deepens the map’s portrayal of a dynamic barrier-island environment. These are not merely peripheral details; they form the living framework of the coast, where tides, shoals, inlets, and shifting channels govern movement. For anyone interested in maritime geography, the map offers a disciplined view of a coast where safe passage depended upon intimate knowledge of water as much as land.

The broader reach of the map extends toward Port Royal Sound, St. Helena Sound, Fripp Island, Edisto Island, and Pritchards Island, situating Bluffton within the larger Sea Islands region of South Carolina and Georgia. This is a landscape of low elevations, broad marshes, tidal rivers, and Atlantic exposure, rendered through contours and hydrographic detail rather than dramatic mountain relief. Its historical significance lies partly in its date: 1945, when accurate coastal mapping remained vital to national defense, postwar development, transportation planning, and resource management. Today, the map offers a fascinating glimpse of the Lowcountry before the full force of late twentieth-century growth reshaped Hilton Head and neighboring islands. It records a coastal world of creeks, ferries, rural roads, and open shorelines with remarkable clarity.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Bluffton
• Hilton Head Island
• Tybee Island
• Daufuskie Island
• May River
• Calibogue Sound
• Bull River
• Little Tybee Island
• Atlantic Ocean
• St. Helena Sound
• Fripp Island
• Edisto Island
• Wassaw Island
• Pritchards Island
• Port Royal Sound
• Chichos River
• Various marshland areas
• Major roads and trails
• Waterways and channels
• Elevation contours
• End of the Tybee Roads

Historical context & cartographic details

• Published by the U.S. Geological Survey in 1945.
• Historical 1:62,500 topographical map of Bluffton, South Carolina, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, Tybee Island, Georgia, and the surrounding coastal region.
• Created shortly after World War II, reflecting the era’s focus on mapping for development, national use, military strategy, and city planning.
• Produced by the U.S. Geological Survey, known for detailed topographical maps used in military and civil planning.
• Shows coastal geography including marshlands, waterways, and elevation contours.
• Uses color to distinguish landforms and water bodies, in a style consistent with mid-20th-century cartography.
• Highlights the Lowcountry’s tidal landscape, including May River and Calibogue Sound.
• Bluffton is notable for its historic charm and proximity to water activities.

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.