Published in 1941 by the United States Geological Survey, “Cohasset” presents the South Shore of Massachusetts with the disciplined elegance of a classic American topographical map. At a scale of 1:31,680, it captures the settled coastal village of Cohasset and its neighboring communities with a precision that reflects the USGS mission: to render the nation’s landscapes legible through science, survey, and cartographic craft. The map’s greens and browns distinguish woodland, open ground, and relief, while red roadways, rail lines, gas lines, trails, marshes, and shorelines create a richly layered portrait of place. It is both a practical geographic document and a historical image of a coastal region on the eve of mid-century transformation.

Cohasset itself anchors the sheet, its compact settlement set against a varied shoreline of harbors, coves, wetlands, and upland ridges. Little Harbor appears as one of the defining coastal features, while nearby marshes and inlets suggest the intimate relationship between town life and the tidal rhythms of Massachusetts Bay. The map extends outward to Hingham, Scituate, Greenbush, and North Scituate, placing Cohasset within a broader constellation of South Shore communities linked by roads, railways, and local routes. These connections reveal a landscape already shaped by commuting, commerce, and recreation, yet still deeply marked by fields, woodland, ponds, and protected open spaces.

The topographical character of the region is beautifully expressed through the map’s contour lines, which gather tightly over steeper ground and relax across gentler terrain. This is not a flat coastal plain, but a subtly dramatic landscape of rocky rises, wooded hills, low wetlands, and glacially influenced ponds. The contouring gives the viewer an immediate sense of movement through the land: roads bending around elevations, trails crossing open spaces, and settlements occupying the more accommodating ground. In places where the land descends toward marshes, harbors, and coves, the map captures the varied textures that make the South Shore distinctive—part maritime, part pastoral, and part suburban.

The presence of People’s Park, open spaces, trails, lakes, and ponds adds a particularly evocative dimension to this 1941 view. These features point to the long-standing value placed on recreation, landscape preservation, and public access in the communities surrounding Cohasset. At the same time, the infrastructure recorded here—railways, gas lines, roadways, and developed village centers—speaks to the region’s modernization in the early twentieth century. Seen today, the map invites comparison with contemporary geography: expanded neighborhoods, altered road networks, preserved wetlands, and changing land use all become part of its story. It is a snapshot of a coastal community poised between rural memory and modern growth.

As a USGS work, “Cohasset” embodies the understated authority and visual clarity that made American topographical mapping indispensable. Its design is utilitarian in origin, but graceful in effect: water, roads, relief, vegetation, and settlement are balanced in a composition that rewards close looking. For admirers of New England history, coastal geography, or scientific cartography, the map offers a refined window into the South Shore as it stood in 1941. Cohasset’s harbors, Hingham’s approaches, Scituate’s neighboring settlements, and the quiet intricacy of ponds, marshes, and hills together form a historically resonant landscape—one in which natural form and human infrastructure are mapped with remarkable care.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Cohasset (populated place)
• Hingham
• Scituate
• Greenbush
• North Scituate
• Weir River
• Little Harbor
• People’s Park
• Area surrounding Cohasset
• Various lakes and ponds
• Roadways marked with red lines
• Trails
• Coastlines
• Gas lines
• Railways
• Marshes
• Open spaces and parks

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the United States Geological Survey (USGS)
• Created in 1941
• Historical 1:31,680 topographical map of Cohasset, Massachusetts and the surrounding area
• Uses a traditional topographical design with contour lines indicating elevation changes
• Green and brown color palette represents vegetation and topography
• Shows varied elevations and steep terrain typical of the region
• Closely spaced contour lines indicate significant changes in elevation in hilly areas
• Offers a glimpse into the geography and infrastructure of Cohasset in the early 20th century
• Useful for comparing historical urban development, land use changes, and preservation efforts with contemporary maps

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.