Published in 1943 by the United States Geological Survey, “Tarpon Springs” presents Florida’s Gulf Coast at a revealing moment in its twentieth-century transformation. Drawn at the detailed 1:31,680 scale, the map captures the meeting of town, bayou, coast, and subtropical lowland with the quiet authority characteristic of USGS topographic work. Tarpon Springs appears as the principal settlement, set among waterways, roads, vegetation patterns, and the broader coastal geography of Pinellas and Pasco Counties. Its muted 1940s palette distinguishes landforms, marshes, urban fabric, and water with restrained elegance, offering not only a practical geographic record but also a richly textured portrait of a region poised between maritime tradition and modern expansion.

Tarpon Springs is especially compelling here because of its association with the sponge diving industry, one of the most distinctive maritime economies in the United States. Greek divers and entrepreneurs helped make the city famous in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and by the time this map was made, its docks, bayous, and access to the Gulf remained central to local identity. Whitcomb Bayou and the surrounding waterways are more than decorative coastal features: they evoke the working landscape of boats, sponge fleets, fisheries, and trade. The map’s careful delineation of shorelines, channels, roads, and settled areas allows the viewer to read Tarpon Springs as both a town and a coastal enterprise shaped by water.

To the north, New Port Richey appears in a very different historical light. In 1943 it had not yet become the expansive suburban community associated with the postwar decades, and the map preserves an earlier pattern of settlement, roads, open land, and waterways before the region’s later growth accelerated. U.S. Route 19 and local roads trace the emerging framework that would guide development along Florida’s west coast, linking towns and rural communities to the Gulf and to one another. The surrounding land, marked by vegetation and drainage, conveys the ecological character of the area before the large-scale suburbanization that transformed much of Pasco and Pinellas Counties in the second half of the century.

Offshore, Anclote Key, the North Keys, Anclote Anchorage, and the Gulf of Mexico give the map a strong coastal and nautical presence. These low sandy islands and sheltered waters form part of the larger natural system that defines this stretch of Florida: tidal flats, barrier islands, marshy edges, and open Gulf horizons. Lake Tarpon, Allen’s Creek, and the network of smaller drainage features reveal how inland water and coastal processes intertwine. The USGS treatment of these features is precise yet understated, using contours, symbols, and subtle color changes to distinguish elevations, wetlands, vegetation cover, and developed ground. The result is a landscape that feels both measured and alive.

The United States Geological Survey brought to this map the systematic discipline that made its topographic series indispensable for engineers, planners, conservationists, and military and civil authorities. Created during the Second World War, the map belongs to an era when accurate domestic mapping held practical urgency, yet it also now serves as a historical document of remarkable depth. It records the Tarpon Springs region before modern resort growth, highway expansion, and suburban spread reshaped the coast. For today’s collector, its appeal lies in that layered perspective: a scientifically rigorous map that preserves the textures of old Florida, from sponge-town waterfronts and Gulf islands to piney interiors, bayous, roads, and quiet communities on the edge of change.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Tarpon Springs
• New Port Richey
• Anclote Key
• Gulf of Mexico
• Anclote Anchorage
• North Keys
• Pasco County
• Pinellas County
• Lake Tarpon
• Allen's Creek
• Whitcomb Bayou
• U.S. Route 19 and local streets
• Parks and forests surrounding the urban areas

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the US Geological Survey, this historical topographical map shows Tarpon Springs, Florida and the surrounding area.
• The map was created in 1943 at a scale of 1:31,680.
• The USGS is known for its systematic mapping across the United States, supporting topographical study and natural resource management.
• Tarpon Springs is renowned for its historic sponge diving industry.
• New Port Richey later grew significantly as a suburban area after World War II.
• The map uses a muted color palette typical of 1940s topographical maps.
• Elevation, land use, water bodies, and vegetation are depicted with distinct colors, symbols, and patterns.
• The map provides insight into the area’s urban development, ecological character, and land use in the early 1940s.
• It reflects changes in the Tarpon Springs region since the 1940s, including the transition from natural landscapes to developed suburbs.
• Detailed features include elevation markers, drainage patterns, and vegetation outlines.

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.