Published in 1946 from survey work completed that same year, the US Geological Survey’s “Snow Marsh” presents a finely observed portrait of the North Carolina coast around Kure Beach, Federal Point, and the lower Cape Fear. At the precise 1:24,000 scale typical of USGS quadrangles, the map captures a landscape defined less by dramatic elevation than by subtle transitions: beach ridge, dune, marsh, tidal creek, and estuary. Its title evokes the low, water-laced terrain that dominates this coastal edge, where firm land gives way to wetlands and open water. Appearing just after World War II, the map belongs to a moment when federal mapping served both scientific understanding and practical planning, documenting fragile shorelines that were increasingly important for ecology, navigation, recreation, and development.

The US Geological Survey brought to this map the clarity and authority that made its topographic series indispensable across the United States. Founded in 1879, the USGS transformed American mapping by applying systematic field survey, standardized symbols, and careful elevation measurement to landscapes of every kind. In “Snow Marsh,” that discipline is visible in the restrained, functional elegance of the design: contour lines trace the faint rises of a low coastal plain, while marsh symbols, channels, roads, and shorelines are organized with remarkable legibility. The result is a map that is both technical and evocative. It translates a shifting coastal environment into a stable visual record, preserving the geography of a place where tides, storms, and human activity continually redraw the land.

Kure Beach anchors the map’s inhabited shoreline, appearing as a coastal community poised between the Atlantic Ocean and the quieter waters behind Federal Point. Its position on the narrow peninsula emphasizes the vulnerability and allure of North Carolina’s barrier coast: oceanfront sands to the east, marshes and tidal waterways to the west, and the broad Cape Fear River system nearby. Federal Point itself is one of the map’s most compelling geographic features, a tapering landform that has long shaped movement, settlement, and defense at the river’s mouth. Roads, shorelines, and waterways are rendered with economical precision, offering a view of a coastal settlement still modest in scale but already tied to the postwar expansion of beach tourism and seaside development.

The southern portion of the mapped area carries a deeper historical resonance through Fort Fisher, one of the most significant Civil War sites on the Atlantic coast. Guarding the approaches to the Cape Fear River, Fort Fisher protected the last major Confederate supply route until its fall in January 1865. On this 1946 map, the fort’s coastal setting becomes legible in geographic terms: its strategic power came from its command of river, inlet, beach, and sea. Nearby Smithville, Smith Island, Corncake Inlet, and the shifting channels of the Cape Fear estuary suggest a maritime world of pilots, ferries, fishermen, military works, and coastal navigation. The map quietly connects natural topography with the human history of war, trade, and settlement.

What makes “Snow Marsh” especially compelling is its attention to a landscape of margins. Marshes, creeks, inlets, and shoals dominate the composition, revealing an environment shaped by salt water, sediment, wind, and tide. The Atlantic Ocean forms the map’s eastern boundary, while the Cape Fear River and associated wetlands create a complex western counterpart. This is not mountain cartography, where contours dramatize height; it is coastal cartography, where the smallest elevation changes matter. The USGS’s clean symbology allows the viewer to read the terrain as a living system, from beach strand to tidal flat. As a historical document of 1946, it captures the lower Cape Fear at a pivotal postwar moment, before later decades of accelerated coastal growth altered many such shorelines.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Kure Beach
• Federal Point
• Fort Fisher
• Smithville
• Cape Fear River
• Smith Island
• Corncake Inlet
• Atlantic Ocean
• Various marshes and waterways in the vicinity

Historical context & cartographic details

• Published by the US Geological Survey in 1946.
• Historical 1:24,000 topographical map based on survey data from 1946.
• Shows Kure Beach, North Carolina, and the surrounding coastal area.
• Uses the clear, functional cartographic style typical of USGS topographic maps.
• Includes contour lines, water features, marshlands, and coastal topography.
• Reflects the post-World War II era, when coastal areas were increasingly important for ecological study and potential urban development.
• Represents the USGS tradition of producing accurate topographical data for geographic, environmental, and recreational use.

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 18x24in (45x60cm) 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.