Rare Old Map of Bowling Green, Kentucky by USGS, 1923: Barren River & Smiths Grove
Restored in our London workshop from the original map and printed to museum-grade archival standards. Full description
The Collector’s Offer
Choose two eligible works and receive 20% off both. Choose three and the lowest-priced one is complimentary, a maximum saving of 33%.
Mix and match eligible standard maps and fine-art prints. No code is required; the offer is applied automatically at checkout.
Standard made-to-order configurations are included. Bespoke sizes, personalised designs and commissioned work are excluded.
Need delivery to different addresses? Contact us before ordering.The Collector’s Offer
Choose two eligible works and receive 20% off both. Choose three and the lowest-priced one is complimentary, a maximum saving of 33%.
Mix and match eligible standard maps and fine-art prints. No code is required; the offer is applied automatically at checkout.
Standard made-to-order configurations are included. Bespoke sizes, personalised designs and commissioned work are excluded.
Need delivery to different addresses? Contact us before ordering.
Restored in London • Printed and framed in the USA
My maps are rare, museum-grade, restored old maps sourced from libraries, auction houses and private collections across the globe. Full description
Choose your size
Choose your finish
(More info)
Gift message & custom finish
If you want to add a gift message, or a finish (jigsaw, aluminium board, etc.) that is not available here, please request it in the "order note" when you check out.
Every order is custom made, so if you need the size adjusted slightly, or printed on an unusual material, just let us know. We've done thousands of custom orders over the years, so there's (almost) nothing we can't manage.
You can also contact us before you order, if you prefer!
Own a piece of history
8,000+ five-star reviews
Published in 1923 by the United States Geological Survey, “Bowling Green” presents a finely observed topographical portrait of south-central Kentucky at a...
Continue readingPublished in 1923 by the United States Geological Survey, “Bowling Green” presents a finely observed topographical portrait of south-central Kentucky at a scale of 1:62,500. Centered on the city of Bowling Green, the map captures the surrounding country at a moment when rural settlement patterns, early road networks, farms, streams, and small communities still defined the landscape. Its title is spare and authoritative, in the classic USGS manner, allowing the geography itself to command attention. Contour lines articulate the rolling uplands and shallow valleys around the Barren River, while roads and trails thread between settlements and cultivated land. The result is both a practical scientific document and a richly atmospheric record of the region before later twentieth-century expansion reshaped its edges.
The US Geological Survey, founded in 1879, became one of America’s great cartographic institutions, producing maps that combined field science, engineering precision, and understated visual elegance. This Bowling Green sheet belongs to that tradition of disciplined observation, in which every contour, stream, road, and settlement is part of a larger national project to understand the terrain of the United States. USGS topographic maps were indispensable to geologists, planners, surveyors, travelers, and local officials, but they now also serve as historical artifacts of exceptional depth. Their quiet design language—measured linework, clear typography, systematic symbols, and subtle elevation modeling—gives them a refined authority. In this map, scientific purpose and regional character meet with particular grace.
Bowling Green itself appears as the principal urban focus, positioned amid the waterways and transportation routes that shaped its growth. By the early 1920s, the city had already become an important Kentucky center, yet the surrounding map still reveals a predominantly rural world of farms, wooded tracts, minor roads, and dispersed communities. Nearby Smiths Grove and Fertile Valley are shown within this broader landscape of small settlements and working countryside, each connected by an intricate web of lanes and routes. The map evokes a time when local movement followed the contours of the land: roads bending around hills, streams, and cultivated fields. It is a quietly vivid snapshot of regional life before highways, suburbs, and modern infrastructure transformed the area.
The Barren River and its tributary streams provide much of the map’s geographical drama, carving through the terrain and organizing the settlement patterns around them. The surrounding topography is rendered through carefully spaced contour lines, revealing the hills, valleys, and elevation points that define the Bowling Green region. These contours do more than indicate height; they suggest the lived texture of the land, from low-lying river corridors to higher ridges and gently undulating farmland. Rock formations and notable relief features emerge through the disciplined language of topographic mapping, giving the sheet a layered geological interest. Forested areas, unnamed streams, and rural landmarks add further texture, creating a portrait of a landscape both settled and deeply shaped by natural forces.
As a historical document, this 1923 Bowling Green map preserves the region at a pivotal stage between nineteenth-century rural patterns and the accelerated modernization of the twentieth century. Its roads and trails predate many later alignments, while its distribution of farms, waterways, and smaller communities records a landscape still closely tied to agriculture and local movement. The map’s value lies not only in its depiction of a place, but in its ability to reveal change: what had been built, what remained open, and how people inhabited the land before the pressures of urban growth intensified. Elegant, exacting, and quietly evocative, it offers a rare view of Bowling Green and its surroundings as both geography and memory.
Cities, towns and places on this map
- Bowling Green
- Barren River
- Fertile Valley
- Smiths Grove
- Rock formations labeled with contour lines
- Various smaller roads and trails
- Nearby forested areas
- Local farms and rural settlements
- Waterways and unnamed streams
- Notable elevation points indicated by contour marks
- Surrounding rural communities and landmarks
Historical context & cartographic details
- Produced by the US Geological Survey (USGS)
- Created in 1923
- Historical topographical map at a scale of 1:62,500
- Shows Bowling Green, Kentucky and the surrounding area
- The US Geological Survey has been known for detailed scientific mapping and cartographic excellence since its founding in 1879
- Uses traditional topographic shading to indicate elevations
- Includes detailed road and stream networks
- Features contour lines to illustrate elevation changes, hills, and valleys around Bowling Green
- Provides a snapshot of Bowling Green in the early 20th century
- Offers insight into regional development and land use before later urban expansion and modernization
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.
Published in 1923 by the United States Geological Survey, “Bowling Green” presents a finely observed topographical portrait of south-central Kentucky at a scale of 1:62,500. Centered on the city of Bowling Green, the map captures the surrounding country at a moment when rural settlement patterns, early road networks, farms, streams, and small communities still defined the landscape. Its title is spare and authoritative, in the classic USGS manner, allowing the geography itself to command attention. Contour lines articulate the rolling uplands and shallow valleys around the Barren River, while roads and trails thread between settlements and cultivated land. The result is both a practical scientific document and a richly atmospheric record of the region before later twentieth-century expansion reshaped its edges.
The US Geological Survey, founded in 1879, became one of America’s great cartographic institutions, producing maps that combined field science, engineering precision, and understated visual elegance. This Bowling Green sheet belongs to that tradition of disciplined observation, in which every contour, stream, road, and settlement is part of a larger national project to understand the terrain of the United States. USGS topographic maps were indispensable to geologists, planners, surveyors, travelers, and local officials, but they now also serve as historical artifacts of exceptional depth. Their quiet design language—measured linework, clear typography, systematic symbols, and subtle elevation modeling—gives them a refined authority. In this map, scientific purpose and regional character meet with particular grace.
Bowling Green itself appears as the principal urban focus, positioned amid the waterways and transportation routes that shaped its growth. By the early 1920s, the city had already become an important Kentucky center, yet the surrounding map still reveals a predominantly rural world of farms, wooded tracts, minor roads, and dispersed communities. Nearby Smiths Grove and Fertile Valley are shown within this broader landscape of small settlements and working countryside, each connected by an intricate web of lanes and routes. The map evokes a time when local movement followed the contours of the land: roads bending around hills, streams, and cultivated fields. It is a quietly vivid snapshot of regional life before highways, suburbs, and modern infrastructure transformed the area.
The Barren River and its tributary streams provide much of the map’s geographical drama, carving through the terrain and organizing the settlement patterns around them. The surrounding topography is rendered through carefully spaced contour lines, revealing the hills, valleys, and elevation points that define the Bowling Green region. These contours do more than indicate height; they suggest the lived texture of the land, from low-lying river corridors to higher ridges and gently undulating farmland. Rock formations and notable relief features emerge through the disciplined language of topographic mapping, giving the sheet a layered geological interest. Forested areas, unnamed streams, and rural landmarks add further texture, creating a portrait of a landscape both settled and deeply shaped by natural forces.
As a historical document, this 1923 Bowling Green map preserves the region at a pivotal stage between nineteenth-century rural patterns and the accelerated modernization of the twentieth century. Its roads and trails predate many later alignments, while its distribution of farms, waterways, and smaller communities records a landscape still closely tied to agriculture and local movement. The map’s value lies not only in its depiction of a place, but in its ability to reveal change: what had been built, what remained open, and how people inhabited the land before the pressures of urban growth intensified. Elegant, exacting, and quietly evocative, it offers a rare view of Bowling Green and its surroundings as both geography and memory.
Cities, towns and places on this map
- Bowling Green
- Barren River
- Fertile Valley
- Smiths Grove
- Rock formations labeled with contour lines
- Various smaller roads and trails
- Nearby forested areas
- Local farms and rural settlements
- Waterways and unnamed streams
- Notable elevation points indicated by contour marks
- Surrounding rural communities and landmarks
Historical context & cartographic details
- Produced by the US Geological Survey (USGS)
- Created in 1923
- Historical topographical map at a scale of 1:62,500
- Shows Bowling Green, Kentucky and the surrounding area
- The US Geological Survey has been known for detailed scientific mapping and cartographic excellence since its founding in 1879
- Uses traditional topographic shading to indicate elevations
- Includes detailed road and stream networks
- Features contour lines to illustrate elevation changes, hills, and valleys around Bowling Green
- Provides a snapshot of Bowling Green in the early 20th century
- Offers insight into regional development and land use before later urban expansion and modernization
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.
Many of our maps and art prints are chosen as thoughtful gifts for homes, offices, studies and meaningful places.
Choose a framed option for the easiest ready-to-hang gift, or choose an unframed print if the recipient may prefer to select their own frame.
We make orders locally in 23 countries around the world, so gifts can often be produced close to the recipient. This helps them arrive faster, travel more safely, and avoid customs or import duty surprises.
- We can deliver directly to the recipient
- Framed pieces arrive ready to hang
- Unframed prints are carefully packed in a strong protective tube
- Almost every order is made locally, for faster, safer gifting
- 90-day returns give the recipient time to decide
If you are not sure what to choose, please contact us. We can help you pick the right map, size, finish or delivery option.
Most orders are made locally and delivered in around 2–3 working days, depending on the product, size and destination.
We print and frame maps and artwork in 23 countries around the world, so your order is usually made close to you or your recipient. That means faster delivery, less time in transit, and no customs or import duty surprises.
Personalised and customised pieces usually take an extra 1–2 working days, because we prepare your design and send it to you for approval before printing.
Very large framed orders can take a little longer, as they need extra care in production and delivery.
Every order is carefully packaged: unframed prints are sent in a strong protective tube, while framed pieces are securely packed with protective materials around the frame.
If you need your order by a particular date, please contact us before ordering. We’ll check the best production route and delivery option for your location.
Express delivery is available at checkout for most countries. Next-day delivery is available in the UK, US, Singapore and the UAE.
Your order is covered by our 90-day returns policy and 10-year guarantee.
Our standard frame is a gallery-style black ash hardwood frame, with a simple, modern look. It is approximately 20mm (0.8in) wide. You can also view some lovely customer photos of framed maps and art.
We use super-clear acrylic glazing, also known as Perspex or Acrylite, instead of traditional glass. It is lighter, safer, and has lower reflectivity, giving the artwork a clearer, cleaner appearance.
Six standard frame colours are available at no extra cost: black, dark brown, dark grey, oak, white, and antique gold. Custom framing and mounting/matting is also available for customers looking for something more specific.
Most maps, art prints, and illustrations are also available as a framed canvas. We use matte cotton canvas, stretch it over a sustainably sourced wooden box frame, and then float the piece within a wooden outer frame. The finished result is beautifully presented, with no glazing between you and the artwork.
All frames are supplied ready to hang, with either string or brackets fitted to the back. Very large frames will include heavy-duty hanging plates and/or a mounting baton. If you have any questions, please get in touch.
We can also supply old maps and artwork on canvas, foam board, cotton rag, and other materials.
If you would prefer to frame your map or artwork yourself, please read our size guide before ordering.
Every Unique Maps piece begins with an authentic cartographic source or an original design from our London studio.
For our historic maps, we source rare originals from libraries, archives, auction houses and private collections around the world. We carefully restore each map for print—repairing age-related damage, balancing colour and improving clarity while preserving its original detail, texture and character.
Once restored, the map is prepared for your chosen size and finish. Your piece is then printed and, where selected, framed close to its delivery destination.
Our map prints use acid-free 200gsm archival matte paper and fade-resistant pigment inks, creating a rich, non-glossy finish designed to last. Framed maps use crystal-clear optical acrylic and arrive ready to hang.
Canvas, cotton-rag and other specialist presentations are also available. Learn more about our materials and finishes.
Personalising your map
You can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. For personalised designs, we send a proof before printing and you can request changes before approval.
For more complex bespoke commissions, contact our design team.
Original or Aged
Choose Original for true-to-source colour, or Aged for a warmer, richer antique character created with our specialist ageing process. See examples of our Aged maps.
We’ve been restoring and producing maps and art prints since 1984, and we stand behind every piece.
Every order is covered by our 10-year guarantee and damage-free delivery guarantee. If your piece arrives damaged, we’ll replace or remake it free of charge. If anything else isn’t right, contact our workshop team and we’ll put it right promptly.
See our returns and refund policy for full details.
Or try searching for something!
