Published in 1947 using survey data from 1944, the US Geological Survey’s “Vineyard Haven” presents Martha’s Vineyard at a revealing mid-20th-century moment. Drawn at a scale of 1:31,680, it centers on Vineyard Haven and the town of Tisbury, while extending across the island’s north shore, inland roads, ponds, bays, and neighboring settlements. The map captures a landscape poised between maritime tradition and modern resort development, with ferry-linked harbors, coastal roads, rural interiors, and village clusters all rendered through the precise language of federal topographic mapping. Its title is modest, but its subject is richly evocative: one of New England’s most storied island communities, mapped with scientific discipline just after the Second World War.

The mapmaker, the US Geological Survey, brought to this sheet the authority of one of America’s most important scientific institutions. Established to provide systematic mapping, geological knowledge, and practical geographic intelligence, the USGS became indispensable to land management, infrastructure planning, natural resource study, and public administration. By the 1940s, its topographic maps had achieved a distinctive balance of utility and elegance, combining rigorous survey work with a visual style immediately recognizable to collectors. In this Vineyard Haven sheet, that institutional precision is applied to an unusually charismatic coastal setting, where settlement patterns, elevation, shoreline complexity, and transportation routes together tell the story of how people inhabited and moved through Martha’s Vineyard.

Vineyard Haven itself occupies a commanding position on Vineyard Sound, its harbor forming one of the island’s essential maritime gateways. Around it, the map records the broader geography of Martha’s Vineyard: Oak Bluffs to the east, West Tisbury inland, Edgartown beyond, and the distinctive reaches of Lambert’s Cove and Menemsha toward the west. Across the water, Falmouth and the neighboring coastal world of Cape Cod give the sheet a wider nautical context, while Gosnold and the surrounding waters suggest the archipelagic character of the region. Bays, ponds, coves, and exposed shorelines appear not as decorative details, but as defining elements in an island landscape shaped by tides, travel, fishing, and seasonal habitation.

The cartographic style is characteristic of mid-century USGS work, with a restrained yet handsome palette of pinks, browns, and related tones used to clarify landforms, built areas, and topographical structure. Numerous contour lines articulate the island’s subtle but varied elevations, turning what might seem a gently rolling coastal terrain into a carefully measured surface of ridges, hollows, slopes, and lowlands. Roads and pathways thread through the mapped landscape, linking shore communities with inland farms, ponds, and wooded tracts. The result is both analytical and atmospheric: a scientific document that also conveys the rhythm of Martha’s Vineyard’s terrain, from sheltered harbors and village roads to open coastal margins and quieter interior ground.

As a historical record, this map is especially compelling for what it preserves of Vineyard Haven and Martha’s Vineyard in the 1940s. It shows the island before many later waves of development, when infrastructure, settlement, and natural resources still maintained a different balance. The roads, town patterns, coastlines, and mapped pathways provide a framework for understanding how the region has changed over time, while the topographic detail preserves enduring features of the landscape itself. For those drawn to New England, maritime history, island communities, or the disciplined beauty of American survey cartography, “Vineyard Haven” offers far more than orientation: it is a finely observed portrait of place, capturing a beloved Massachusetts island in a precise and historically resonant moment.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Vineyard Haven
• Martha's Vineyard
• Tisbury
• Falmouth
• Gosnold
• Menemsha
• Lambert's Cove
• Oak Bluffs
• West Tisbury
• Edgartown
• Vineyard Sound
• North Shore
• South Shore
• Various roads and pathways throughout the region
• Coastlines of Martha's Vineyard and surrounding areas
• Notable water bodies including ponds and bays

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the US Geological Survey
• Historical 1:31,680 topographical map showing Martha's Vineyard and Vineyard Haven in Massachusetts
• Based on survey data from 1944 and published in 1947
• The US Geological Survey focused on systematic mapping and scientific research to support land management and resource development in the United States
• Uses a mid-20th-century USGS color palette, including shades of pink and brown for elevation and topographical detail
• Features contour lines to show changes in elevation across the landscape
• Reflects the state of Vineyard Haven in the mid-20th century, including urban development, natural resources, and infrastructure of the period

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.