Exeter P.O., town of Exeter — the understated, workmanlike title belies the sophistication of this 1892 lithographed portrait of Rockingham County’s storied river town. Issued by the Boston publishers D.H. Hurd & Co., it presents Exeter with the clarity and composure characteristic of the best late nineteenth‑century cartography: streets crisply ruled, waterways elegantly traced, institutions and businesses labeled with an editor’s care. Hurd’s distinctive graphic taxonomy—public and commercial buildings shaded one way, private residences another—turns the townscape into an instantly legible narrative of work, worship, learning, and home. A carefully placed inset extends the viewer’s grasp beyond the center to the surrounding districts and approaches, orienting Exeter within its county setting. Roads are shown decisively, the main thoroughfares reading like arteries of trade, while the marked cemeteries and river bends introduce a quietly human cadence to the geometry. In a single glance, the map delivers a quick understanding of the town’s late‑Victorian layout and its historical context, yet rewards prolonged study with a wealth of labeled detail.

Behind this sheet stands D.H. Hurd & Co., a Boston house renowned in the 1880s and 1890s for county and town atlases designed to be both exact and eminently usable. Hurd’s method married field‑gathered data and local testimony to lithographic finesse, producing plates prized by merchants, insurers, municipal officers, and curious citizens alike. The firm’s editorial discipline is on full display here: the consistent shading scheme, the tidy alphabet of symbols, and the rational labeling that makes complex civic space parse at once. Even the title’s “P.O.” speaks to the period’s organizational logic, anchoring the plate to the town’s postal designation, a practical rubric in an era when mail routes, railroad timetables, and business directories knit New England together. Inset mapping was another Hurd signature—compressing multiple scales into a single composition so that the reader perceives both the texture of streets and the logic of regional connection.

The urban form that emerges is coherent and historically eloquent. Exeter’s pattern radiates from a compact commercial core, with business blocks distinctly shaded to mark the locus of trade and services, then softening into residential lanes where the lighter tint denotes the quieter cadence of domestic life. Roads are drawn with deliberation, their convergences suggesting long‑standing routes that predate the era’s modernization. Waterways, so critical to the town’s development, are rendered as structural elements rather than mere decoration: a river both powers industry and dictates the siting of bridges, squares, and depots. Cemeteries are labeled with the same matter‑of‑fact dignity as schools and halls, reflecting Victorian attitudes that folded remembrance into the civic landscape. Through these cartographic decisions, the map reveals functional neighborhoods—industrial, institutional, mercantile, and residential—stitched together by carefully bridged crossings and rising streets that climb from the banks to higher ground.

This plate also distills the economic and social forces that shaped Exeter in the late nineteenth century. The shading that distinguishes public buildings points to a civic infrastructure thick with town halls, libraries, churches, and schools—those emblems of New England pride that undergirded prosperity. Commerce was buoyed by rail and road networks that linked the town to Boston and the broader markets of the Northeast; maps of the era typically mark depots and corridors as vital conduits of goods and people. Industry still leaned on waterpower, yet the urban footprint hints at diversification: workshops near the river, service trades along the main streets, and cultural institutions occupying dignified precincts. Exeter’s long history—as a colonial seat of governance during the Revolution and, famously, as the home of Phillips Exeter Academy—gives the town a layered identity that maps like this make visible, not by proclamation but by the quiet aggregation of labeled buildings, aligned streets, and purposeful open spaces.

Read as a historical document, the map offers scholars and collectors a rare, coherent snapshot of how a thriving New Hampshire town understood itself in 1892. The inset widens the lens to neighboring hamlets and road junctions, showing how Exeter’s influence radiated into Rockingham County’s farms, mill‑villages, and the tidal reaches that connect inland to the coast. The precise labeling of institutions and yards captures patterns of land use and proprietorship that underpin genealogical research and urban history alike, while the presence of cemeteries and waterways records the moral and economic geometries of the age. Above all, the composition exemplifies the late‑Victorian pursuit of clarity—elegance in service of legibility—so that every street, school, and shop reads as part of a comprehensible whole. It is both a guide and a portrait: a calm, confident visualization of Exeter at a moment when commerce, education, and civic life aligned to give the town its enduring shape.

Map Context

• Name of the Map: Exeter P.O., town of Exeter.
• Date When the Map Was Made: 1892.
• Mapmaker/Publisher: Published by D.H. Hurd & Co., a noted mapmaker based in Boston, known for producing maps and atlases during that era.
• Topics and Themes Shown: The map illustrates urban layout, commercial and public institutions, and residential areas, displaying the economic and social landscape of Exeter in the late 19th century.
• Countries/Regions/Counties Shown: The map specifically focuses on the town of Exeter, located in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, USA.

Notable Features & Landmarks

• Distinct Shading: Different shading styles for business and public buildings versus private residences.
• Inset Section: Additional detailed area map, enhancing understanding of surrounding regions.
• Labeling of Structures: Numerous buildings and institutions labeled, providing insight into historical land usage.
• Roads and Streets: Clearly defined roadways and main thoroughfares visible on the map.
• Waterways: Indication of local rivers and their relevance to the town layout and development.
• Cemetery Marking: Specific labeling of cemetery areas, showcasing societal norms during that period.

Historical and design context

• Extra Notes: This lithographed map represents the town of Exeter in Rockingham County, produced by D.H. Hurd & Co. in Boston in 1892. The map features an inset providing additional details about the area, distinguishing between various types of buildings by shading public buildings and business blocks differently from private residences, offering a quick understanding of the town's layout and its historical context.
• Design/Style of the Map: The map uses distinct shading and symbolism to differentiate between types of structures, displaying a clean, organized style typical of late 19th-century cartography, emphasizing clarity and usability.
• Historical Significance/Context: The map provides insight into Exeter's development in the late 1800s, reflecting the growth of commerce and changes in land use, offering valuable information for historical studies and urban planning.

Please double check the images to make sure that a specific town or place is shown on this map. You can also get in touch and ask us to check the map for you.

This map looks great at every size, but I always recommend going for a larger size if you have space. That way you can easily make out all of the details.

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 24x36in (60x90cm) version of this map.

The fifth listing image shows an example of my map personalisation service.

If you’re looking for something slightly different, check out my collection of the best old maps to see if something else catches your eye.

Please contact me to check if a certain location, landmark or feature is shown on this map.

This would make a wonderful birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, work leaving, anniversary or housewarming gift for someone from the areas covered by this map.

This map is available as a giclée print on acid free archival matte paper, or you can buy it framed. The frame is a nice, simple black frame that suits most aesthetics. Please get in touch if you'd like a different frame colour or material. My frames are glazed with super-clear museum-grade acrylic (perspex/acrylite), which is significantly less reflective than glass, safer, and will always arrive in perfect condition.

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.

For most orders, delivery time is about 3 working days. Personalised and customised products take longer, as I have to do the personalisation and send it to you for approval, which usually takes 1 or 2 days.

Please note that very large framed orders usually take longer to make and deliver. 

If you need your order to arrive by a certain date, please contact me before you order so that we can find the best way of making sure you get your order in time.

I print and frame maps and artwork in 23 countries around the world. This means your order will be made locally, which cuts down on delivery time and ensures that it won't be damaged during delivery. You'll never pay customs or import duty, and we'll put less CO2 into the air.

All of my maps and art prints are well packaged and sent in a rugged tube if unframed, or surrounded by foam if framed.

I try to send out all orders within 1 or 2 days of receiving your order, though some products (like face masks, mugs and tote bags) can take longer to make.

If you select Express Delivery at checkout your order we will prioritise your order and send it out by 1-day courier (Fedex, DHL, UPS, Parcelforce).

Next Day delivery is also available in some countries (US, UK, Singapore, UAE) but please try to order early in the day so that we can get it sent out on time.

Read my full delivery and local production guide

My standard frame is a gallery style black ash hardwood frame. It is simple and quite modern looking. My standard frame is around 20mm (0.8in) wide.

I use super-clear acrylic (perspex/acrylite) for the frame glass. It's lighter and safer than glass - and it looks better, as the reflectivity is lower.

Six standard frame colours are available for free (black, dark brown, dark grey, oak, white and antique gold). Custom framing and mounting/matting is available if you're looking for something else.

Most maps, art and illustrations are also available as a framed canvas. We use matte (not shiny) cotton canvas, stretch it over a sustainably sourced box wood frame, and then 'float' the piece within a wood frame. The end result is quite beautiful, and there's no glazing to get in the way.

All frames are provided "ready to hang", with either a string or brackets on the back. Very large frames will have heavy duty hanging plates and/or a mounting baton. If you have any questions, please get in touch.

See some examples of my framed maps and framed canvas maps.

Alternatively, I can also supply old maps and artwork on canvas, foam board, cotton rag and other materials.

If you want to frame your map or artwork yourself, please read my size guide first.

My maps are extremely high quality reproductions of original maps.

I source original, rare maps from libraries, auction houses and private collections around the world, restore them at my London workshop, and then use specialist giclée inks and printers to create beautiful maps that look even better than the original.

My maps are printed on acid-free archival matte (not glossy) paper that feels very high quality and almost like card. In technical terms the paper weight/thickness is 10mil/200gsm. It's perfect for framing.

I print with Epson ultrachrome giclée UV fade resistant pigment inks - some of the best inks you can find.

I can also make maps on canvas, cotton rag and other exotic materials.

Learn more about The Unique Maps Co.

Map personalisation

If you're looking for the perfect anniversary or housewarming gift, I can personalise your map to make it truly unique. For example, I can add a short message, or highlight an important location, or add your family's coat of arms.

The options are almost infinite. Please see my map personalisation page for some wonderful examples of what's possible.

To order a personalised map, select "personalise your map" before adding it to your basket.

Get in touch if you're looking for more complex customisations and personalisations.

Map ageing

I have been asked hundreds of times over the years by customers if they could buy a map that looks even older.

Well, now you can, by selecting Aged before you add a map to your basket.

All the product photos you see on this page show the map in its Original form. This is what the map looks like today.

If you select Aged, I will age your map by hand, using a special and unique process developed through years of studying old maps, talking to researchers to understand the chemistry of aging paper, and of course... lots of practice!

If you're unsure, stick to the Original colour of the map. If you want something a bit darker and older looking, go for Aged.

See some amazing examples of Aged maps.

If you are not happy with your order for any reason, contact me and I'll get it fixed ASAP, free of charge. Please see my returns and refund policy for more information.

I am very confident you will like your restored map or art print. I have been doing this since 1984. I'm a 5-star Etsy seller. I have sold tens of thousands of maps and art prints and have over 5,000 real 5-star reviews. My work has been featured in interior design magazines, on the BBC, and on the walls of dozens of 5-star hotels.

I use a unique process to restore maps and artwork that is massively time consuming and labour intensive. Hunting down the original maps and illustrations can take months. I use state of the art and eye-wateringly expensive technology to scan and restore them. As a result, I guarantee my maps and art prints are a cut above the rest. I stand by my products and will always make sure you're 100% happy with what you receive.

Almost all of my maps and art prints look amazing at large sizes (200cm, 6.5ft+) and I can frame and deliver them to you as well, via special oversized courier. Contact me to discuss your specific needs.