{"product_id":"old-map-of-lewes-delaware-by-usgs-1918-cape-henlopen-delaware-bay-rehoboth-bay","title":"Old Map of Lewes, Delaware by USGS, 1918 – Cape Henlopen, Delaware Bay \u0026 Rehoboth Bay","description":"\u003cp\u003ePublished in 1918 by the U.S. Geological Survey, “Cape Henlopen” presents the Delaware coast at a moment when its maritime geography, wetlands, roads, and settlements still retained much of their early twentieth-century character. Drawn at a 1:62,500 scale, the map centers on Lewes, Delaware, and the strategic curve of Cape Henlopen where Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean. Its topographical language is precise and elegant: contour lines trace the slight rises and subtle relief of a low coastal landscape, while shaded color and hydrographic detail distinguish land, marsh, bay, and ocean. The result is both scientific document and coastal portrait, capturing a region defined by tidal water, sandy margins, sheltered harbors, and the fragile transitions between firm ground and wetland.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe U.S. Geological Survey, founded in 1879, brought a new standard of national precision to American mapping, and this sheet reflects the agency’s disciplined approach to terrain, settlement, and natural systems. Rather than presenting the coast as a decorative outline, the USGS rendered Cape Henlopen as a working landscape of elevation, drainage, transportation, and habitation. Lewes appears as the principal populated place, linked by roads to surrounding settlements and rural tracts, while the map’s carefully placed contour lines reveal how modest changes in height shaped movement and development. In a coastal zone where inches of elevation could determine marsh, field, or roadbed, this topographical attention is especially meaningful, offering a clear view of how geography governed everyday life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCape Henlopen itself has long held strategic importance, guarding the entrance to Delaware Bay and the approach to the Delaware River corridor beyond. On this map, the cape is shown in relation to Breakwater Harbor and the Harbor of Refuge, names that speak to the hazards and necessities of navigation along this exposed Atlantic edge. These protected waters were vital to vessels seeking shelter from storms, shoals, and shifting coastal conditions. The mapped juxtaposition of open ocean, bay entrance, and engineered refuge evokes a maritime world of pilots, fishermen, coastal trade, and naval awareness. In 1918, during the final year of the First World War, such coastal geography carried practical significance as well as local identity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe surrounding landscape is rendered as a tapestry of bays, marshes, roads, and low-lying terrain characteristic of the Delmarva Peninsula. Rehoboth Bay appears to the south, while the Indian River and nearby wetlands suggest the hydrological complexity of the region. The map’s distinctive coastal representation emphasizes tidal margins and waterlogged ground, where the boundary between land and water is less a line than a living edge. This is a terrain shaped by barrier sands, estuarine flows, salt marshes, and shallow bays, all of which influenced settlement patterns and transportation routes. The sparing but exact contouring underscores the flatness of the coastal plain, making even the smallest rises legible and historically informative.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs a historical record, “Cape Henlopen” preserves a coastal Delaware that predates many later transformations in tourism, infrastructure, shoreline management, and environmental change. The Lewes and Rehoboth region would become increasingly associated with seaside recreation and development, yet this map captures a quieter geography of roads, wetlands, harbors, and dispersed settlement. Its value lies in the way it fixes a particular moment before extensive modern alteration, allowing the viewer to compare early twentieth-century land use and natural features with the present coast. For collectors, it offers more than a map of place: it is a finely observed document of an American shoreline in transition, where scientific cartography meets the enduring romance of bays, capes, and the open Atlantic.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eCities, towns and places on this map\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLewes\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCape Henlopen\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBreakwater Harbor\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHarbor of Refuge\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDelmarva Peninsula\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDelaware Bay\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAtlantic Ocean\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRehoboth Bay\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIndian River\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNearby marshes and wetlands\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eHistorical context \u0026amp; cartographic details\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHistorical 1:62,500 topographical map produced in 1918.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePublished by the U.S. Geological Survey.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe USGS, established in 1879, played a key role in the systematic mapping and geological understanding of the United States.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUses a typical early 20th-century topographical style, including color shading to show elevation changes.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFeatures clear contour lines outlining the relief and flatness of the coastal terrain.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIncludes distinctive cartographic treatment of coastal areas.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCaptures the area before significant later development and environmental change.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eProvides a snapshot of the early 20th-century coastal landscape, including historic land use and natural features.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLooking for a particular place?\u003c\/strong\u003e Review the detailed images to confirm that the town, landmark or feature you have in mind appears on the map. If you are unsure, \u003ca target=\"”_blank”\" href=\"\/de\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003eask our workshop to check before you order\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDetailed 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 50in (125cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please \u003ca href=\"\/de\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003eget in touch\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe model in the listing images is holding the 16x20in (40x50cm) version of this map.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhere personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. \u003ca target=\"”_blank”\" href=\"\/de\/pages\/map-personalisation\"\u003eSee personalised map examples\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEvery 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith 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 \u003ca target=\"”_blank”\" href=\"\/de\/collections\/all-old-vintage-antique-maps\"\u003erare old and vintage maps\u003c\/a\u003e to discover another place, period or style.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Unique Maps Co.","offers":[{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Map","offer_id":58763149246848,"sku":null,"price":365.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":58763149279616,"sku":null,"price":983.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed canvas map","offer_id":58763149312384,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Map","offer_id":58763149345152,"sku":null,"price":365.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":58763149377920,"sku":null,"price":983.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed canvas 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