Titled “Murfreesboro,” this United States Geological Survey topographic map was dated 1950 and issued with a 1952 imprint, capturing a pivotal postwar moment in the life of Rutherford County, Tennessee. At the precise 1:24,000 scale, it presents Murfreesboro and its surrounding countryside with the measured clarity that made USGS quadrangles indispensable to planners, engineers, historians, and travelers. Roads and highways thread through the town in red, while built-up areas, rural lanes, fields, and green spaces reveal the balance between an established county seat and the agricultural landscape around it. The map offers a finely observed portrait of a Southern community on the cusp of suburban expansion.

The USGS style is immediately recognizable: disciplined, scientific, and quietly elegant. Contour lines sweep across the sheet to describe the rises, dips, hills, and shallow valleys around Murfreesboro, translating the terrain into a readable visual rhythm. These lines do more than record elevation; they reveal how settlement followed the land, how roads found gentler grades, and how streams shaped the pattern of farms and neighborhoods. The use of color distinguishes cultural features, drainage, vegetation, and relief, giving the map both practical utility and graphic refinement. It is a classic mid-century American topographic composition, dense with information yet remarkably legible.

Murfreesboro itself occupies a place of considerable historical resonance. Founded as a central Tennessee town and long associated with Rutherford County civic life, it is best known nationally for its connection to the Battle of Stones River, one of the major engagements of the American Civil War. The Stones River landscape, shown here as a natural and geographic presence, evokes that deeper history beneath the roads, residences, and commercial buildings of the modern town. By 1950, Murfreesboro was no longer merely a historic crossroads; it was developing into a growing urban center, and this map preserves the physical framework of that transformation.

The surrounding countryside is especially compelling, with smaller communities, scattered residences, agricultural tracts, and open green areas set among gently varied terrain. The contouring suggests a landscape of modest but meaningful relief, where hills and valleys create the subtle topographic texture characteristic of middle Tennessee. Roads extend outward from Murfreesboro into the rural hinterland, linking farms, neighborhoods, and emerging suburban layouts. In this way, the map records not only geographic facts, but patterns of everyday movement: routes to market, school, church, and county business. It is a document of human settlement embedded within the natural form of the land.

As a product of the United States Geological Survey, this map belongs to one of America’s great cartographic enterprises. The USGS built a national geographic framework through painstaking survey, standardization, and scientific accuracy, and its topographic quadrangles became essential references for understanding the American landscape. This “Murfreesboro” sheet reflects that legacy while also serving as a historical snapshot of Tennessee in the early 1950s. Its combination of urban detail, Civil War associations, transport routes, and measured landforms makes it particularly evocative: a map of a place with deep memory, captured at the threshold between rural tradition and modern growth.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Murfreesboro, TN
• Stones River
• Residences and commercial buildings in Murfreesboro
• Roads and highways indicated by red lines
• Nearby hills and valleys
• Green spaces indicating parks or agricultural land
• Other smaller communities surrounding Murfreesboro, as indicated by suburban layouts

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the United States Geological Survey, this historical 1:24,000 topographical map shows Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and the surrounding area.
• Dated 1950 and published with a 1952 imprint.
• Created by the United States Geological Survey, a key agency responsible for mapping and geological studies in the U.S.
• The USGS is known for rigorous scientific research and for establishing foundational geographic data for the United States.
• Murfreesboro is historically significant as the site of the Battle of Stones River during the American Civil War.
• The map features contour lines indicating elevations and depressions, with coloring used to signify different topographic features.
• The terrain includes hills and valleys, shown through contour lines that depict the natural topography of the area.
• The map reflects post-war changes in land use and urban development, including the expansion of Murfreesboro as a growing urban area.

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.