{"product_id":"old-map-of-ocean-city-maryland-by-usgs-1942-berlin-fenwick-island","title":"Old Map of Ocean City, Maryland by USGS, 1942 – Berlin \u0026 Fenwick Island","description":"\u003cp\u003ePublished in 1942 as the “Ocean City Quadrangle,” this advance topographic map was produced by the U.S. Geological Survey in collaboration with the War Department Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army. Its “Advance” classification gives it a particular immediacy: this was not merely a regional survey, but a wartime instrument of clarity, prepared when coastal knowledge carried strategic importance. At a scale of 1:62,500, the map presents the Atlantic edge of Maryland and Delaware with disciplined precision, encompassing Ocean City, Berlin, Fenwick Island, and the intricate waterways that define the Delmarva coast. Roads, railways, marshes, bays, and elevation contours combine to create a richly legible portrait of a vulnerable and vital shoreline during the Second World War.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe USGS style is unmistakable: restrained, exacting, and deeply practical, with contour lines and topographic symbols used to translate subtle coastal terrain into readable form. Unlike maps of mountainous regions, the drama here lies in minimal elevation—the nearly level world of barrier islands, tidal marsh, and inland flats. The low relief around Ocean City, Sinepuxent Bay, Assawoman Bay, and Fenwick Island is carefully expressed through delicate contouring, emphasizing how slight changes in height shape drainage, settlement, and movement. This is a landscape where water is the dominant architect, and the map captures that relationship with elegant economy, balancing scientific utility with the quiet beauty of early twentieth-century American cartography.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOcean City appears as the defining coastal settlement, stretched along the Atlantic Ocean on its narrow barrier island, with Sinepuxent Bay lying behind it like a protected inland mirror. To the north, Fenwick Island marks the transition into Delaware, while Assawoman Bay broadens the watery geography of the coast. Inland, Berlin anchors the map’s more settled agricultural hinterland, connected by roads and railways that reveal the region’s economic and social structure. The Isle of Wight, Green Run, and the waterways feeding toward the Pocomoke River help convey a terrain shaped by tidal flow, wetland ecology, and coastal movement. The map is both navigational document and historical landscape study.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe wartime date of 1942 gives the quadrangle unusual historical resonance. During the Second World War, America’s Atlantic coast was a zone of heightened vigilance, where accurate maps supported transportation planning, coastal defense, engineering, and logistical readiness. The collaboration between the USGS and the Army Corps of Engineers underscores this practical urgency. Barrier beaches, marsh approaches, rail lines, bridges, and roads all mattered in an era when geography could affect defense and mobility. Yet the map also anticipates the post-war future: the same information that served military and governmental needs would later underpin civilian infrastructure, resort development, highway improvement, and the expanding modern identity of Ocean City as a major seaside destination.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eViewed today, the “Ocean City Quadrangle” preserves a precise moment in the evolution of the Maryland and Delaware coast. It records Ocean City before the full transformation of the late twentieth-century resort boom, while still showing the enduring bones of the region: the Atlantic shore, bay islands, marshlands, inland towns, and transportation corridors. Its clean USGS drafting invites close reading, rewarding attention to every road, watercourse, contour, and settlement name. The map’s appeal lies in this combination of technical authority and coastal atmosphere. It is a finely composed record of a shifting shoreline, a wartime planning landscape, and a beloved Atlantic region poised between rural quiet, military significance, and modern coastal growth.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eCities, towns and places on this map\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOcean City, Maryland\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBerlin, Maryland\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFenwick Island, Delaware\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIsle of Wight\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSinepuxent Bay\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAssawoman Bay\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAtlantic Ocean\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePocomoke River\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGreen Run\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eVarious marked roads and railways\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNotable landmarks and natural features indicated by contour lines and topographical symbols\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eHistorical context \u0026amp; cartographic details\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMap title: \u003cem\u003eOcean City Quadrangle\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eProduced by the US Geological Survey (USGS) in collaboration with the War Department Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCreated in 1942\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eClassified as an “Advance” map, showing details pertinent to that era\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUses a 1:62,500 scale\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEmploys contour lines to portray elevation and relief\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCartographic style is typical of early 20th-century USGS maps, emphasizing clarity and utility\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFeatures low coastal terrain with areas of marshland\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eReflects the wartime need for detailed topographic data, potentially supporting military planning and later civilian infrastructure development in post-war America\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":58792702902656,"sku":null,"price":364.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":58792702935424,"sku":null,"price":979.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed canvas map","offer_id":58792702968192,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Map","offer_id":58792703000960,"sku":null,"price":364.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":58792703033728,"sku":null,"price":979.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed canvas 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