{"product_id":"old-map-of-hamilton-new-york-by-usgs-1944-lebanon-kealerville-madison-county","title":"Old Map of Hamilton, New York by USGS, 1944 – Lebanon, Kealerville \u0026 Madison County","description":"\u003cp\u003ePublished in 1944 from survey data of the same year, the US Geological Survey’s “Hamilton” presents a finely resolved portrait of central New York at a scale of 1:31,680. Centered on Hamilton in Madison County, the map captures a mid-twentieth-century landscape of village streets, country roads, rail connections, streams, lakes, cultivated land, wooded slopes, and folded hills. Its topographic language is unmistakably USGS: precise contour lines trace the rise and fall of the terrain, while blue waterways and green vegetation areas give the sheet a vivid sense of place. More than a navigational document, it is a measured snapshot of Hamilton and its surrounding countryside at a moment when rural infrastructure, settlement patterns, and land use were being carefully recorded for national reference.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHamilton itself anchors the composition, its road network and settled core standing in contrast to the surrounding uplands and valleys. Nearby Lebanon and Kealerville appear within a broader pattern of hamlets, farms, crossroads, and minor routes, revealing the connected yet distinctly rural character of Madison County in the 1940s. The map’s black-lined roads show the practical arteries of everyday life, while railways and local tracks hint at older systems of movement and commerce. Around these human features, the land asserts itself through contours: gentle slopes, ridgelines, drainage corridors, and small basins are all rendered with quiet precision. For collectors interested in New York history, this is a richly informative view of a regional landscape before later suburban expansion and modern road realignments reshaped many such communities.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe US Geological Survey, founded in 1879, brought scientific rigor and visual consistency to the mapping of the United States, and this Hamilton sheet is a strong example of its mature cartographic style. By the 1940s, USGS topographic maps had become indispensable tools for engineers, planners, geologists, land managers, military users, and travelers alike. Their authority came from a disciplined combination of field survey, standardized symbols, contour measurement, and careful compilation. On this map, the agency’s characteristic design allows many kinds of information to coexist clearly: settlement, transportation, hydrography, vegetation, and elevation are all legible at once. The result is not merely technical; it has an austere elegance, transforming the measured facts of terrain into a graphic composition of lines, colors, and spatial relationships.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe natural geography shown around Hamilton is especially compelling. Streams thread through the valleys, ponds and small lakes punctuate the landscape, and the green-tinted wooded areas emphasize the patchwork of forest and open land that defines this part of central New York. Contour lines give the map its sculptural quality, allowing the viewer to read the countryside as a series of hills, hollows, slopes, and drainage patterns. These topographic details would have been invaluable to hikers, surveyors, road builders, and anyone concerned with water flow, land use, or access. They also create a historical environmental record: the distribution of forests, routes, and waterways in 1944 can be compared with later maps to trace changes in agriculture, development, conservation, and transportation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs a historical object, “Hamilton” offers a refined window into the wartime United States, when accurate domestic mapping held both civilian and strategic importance. Though focused on a quiet portion of Madison County, the map belongs to a national cartographic effort that sought to document the country’s terrain with unprecedented clarity. Its value lies in the intimacy of its detail: the modest roads, rural settlements, streams, wooded hills, and village fabric together form a portrait of place at a specific moment in time. For those with ties to Hamilton, Madison County, or the landscapes of upstate New York, it evokes memory and continuity. For collectors, it stands as an elegant example of USGS topographic craft, balancing scientific exactitude with the enduring visual beauty of mapped terrain.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eCities, towns and places on this map\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHamilton, NY\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLebanon, NY\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKealerville, NY\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMadison County\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLakes and water bodies, including various unnamed lakes\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMajor roads and railways, including primary routes shown with black lines\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTopographical features, including hills and valleys\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStreams and rivers\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eParks and forested regions\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eHistorical context \u0026amp; cartographic details\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eProduced by the US Geological Survey as a historical 1:31,680 topographical map of Hamilton, New York and the surrounding area.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBased on 1944 data and published in 1944, with no separate imprint year specified.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCreated by the US Geological Survey, founded in 1879 and known for mapping, scientific research, and natural resource management in the United States.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUses rich color and contour lines to show elevation, terrain variation, and the physical character of the landscape.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGreen coloring indicates vegetation and forested areas.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTypical of USGS topographical mapping, with detailed representation of hills, valleys, water bodies, and terrain relief.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOffers insight into the mid-20th-century geography, infrastructure, land use, and environmental conditions of Hamilton and nearby areas.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUseful for comparing historical and modern maps to study urban growth, land use change, and environmental transformation.\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=\"\/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=\"\/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=\"\/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=\"\/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":67878315458951,"sku":null,"price":357.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":67878315491719,"sku":null,"price":959.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed canvas map","offer_id":67878315524487,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Map","offer_id":67878315557255,"sku":null,"price":357.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":67878315590023,"sku":null,"price":959.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed canvas 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