Rare Old Map of Ocean Springs, Mississippi by USGS, 1954: Davis Bayou & Biloxi Bay
Restored in our London workshop from the original 1958 map and printed to museum-grade archival standards. Full description
The Collector’s Offer
Choose two eligible works and receive 20% off both. Choose three and the lowest-priced one is complimentary, a maximum saving of 33%.
Mix and match eligible standard maps and fine-art prints. No code is required; the offer is applied automatically at checkout.
Standard made-to-order configurations are included. Bespoke sizes, personalised designs and commissioned work are excluded.
Need delivery to different addresses? Contact us before ordering.The Collector’s Offer
Choose two eligible works and receive 20% off both. Choose three and the lowest-priced one is complimentary, a maximum saving of 33%.
Mix and match eligible standard maps and fine-art prints. No code is required; the offer is applied automatically at checkout.
Standard made-to-order configurations are included. Bespoke sizes, personalised designs and commissioned work are excluded.
Need delivery to different addresses? Contact us before ordering.
Restored from the original 1958 map and printed to museum-grade archival standards. Full description
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Gift message & custom finish
If you want to add a gift message, or a finish (jigsaw, aluminium board, etc.) that is not available here, please request it in the "order note" when you check out.
Every order is custom made, so if you need the size adjusted slightly, or printed on an unusual material, just let us know. We've done thousands of custom orders over the years, so there's (almost) nothing we can't manage.
You can also contact us before you order, if you prefer!
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Titled simply “Ocean Springs,” this United States Geological Survey map presents the Mississippi Gulf Coast at a detailed 1:24,000 scale, created from...
Continue readingTitled simply “Ocean Springs,” this United States Geological Survey map presents the Mississippi Gulf Coast at a detailed 1:24,000 scale, created from 1954 mapping and issued with a 1958 imprint. It captures Ocean Springs and its surrounding coastal terrain at a moment when the town still balanced small-city life, maritime character, and the natural rhythms of bayou and marsh. The map’s clean USGS style gives equal authority to settlement, infrastructure, and landscape: roads and railways thread through neighborhoods, while blue waterways and carefully drawn contours reveal the low, intricate geography of the Gulf Coast. As a mid-century document, it offers a precise view of land use before later waves of development reshaped many coastal communities.
The mapmaker, the United States Geological Survey, brought to this sheet the scientific discipline that made its topographic maps indispensable for engineers, planners, travelers, and historians. Founded in the nineteenth century to study the nation’s geology, resources, and terrain, the USGS became the standard-bearer for systematic mapping in the United States. Here, its characteristic visual language is on full display: measured contour intervals, clear hydrographic detail, classified roads, rail lines, and symbols for built features. The result is not merely a navigational tool, but a finely organized portrait of place. Every line reflects the agency’s mission to describe the American landscape with accuracy, usefulness, and understated elegance.
Ocean Springs itself gives the map particular cultural resonance. Long associated with historic architecture, coastal resort life, and a lively arts tradition, the town occupies a distinctive position along Mississippi’s shoreline, facing Biloxi Bay and connected to a network of bayous, roads, and neighboring communities. On this sheet, the urban fabric appears in measured detail, with residential and commercial areas set against open land, marsh, and water. The map evokes a period before contemporary expansion fully transformed the Gulf Coast, making it especially valuable for understanding mid-twentieth-century settlement patterns. It shows Ocean Springs not as an isolated town, but as part of a broader coastal system shaped by water, transportation, and local industry.
The physical geography is especially compelling. Davis Bayou, Fort Bayou, Biloxi Bay, and the Back Bay of Biloxi form a complex watery framework around the mapped area, reminding the viewer how deeply coastal Mississippi is defined by estuaries, wetlands, and tidal margins. Blue washes and channel lines articulate lakes, rivers, marshes, and bayous, while the subtle contouring records the modest but meaningful elevation changes of a low coastal landscape. Inland, the presence of De Soto National Forest situates Ocean Springs within a larger ecological setting, where pine lands and wetland environments meet the developed coast. The map is therefore as much an environmental record as a civic one.
As a historical object, this map invites comparison between the Ocean Springs of the 1950s and the Gulf Coast of today. Roads, railways, parklands, neighborhoods, and undeveloped tracts together reveal patterns of movement and land use before decades of suburban growth, infrastructure change, storm impact, and environmental pressure. Its topographic detail makes visible both the resilience and vulnerability of the region: marshes, bayous, and low-lying coastal edges appear not as background features, but as defining elements of everyday geography. For collectors, historians, and admirers of the Mississippi coast, “Ocean Springs” offers a richly informative snapshot of a beloved coastal community at a pivotal mid-century moment.
Cities, towns and places on this map
- Ocean Springs
- Davis Bayou
- Biloxi Bay
- De Soto National Forest
- Back Bay of Biloxi
- Fort Bayou
- Roads and railways marked for navigation
- Parks and recreational areas
- Bodies of water, including lakes, marshes, and rivers
- Residential neighborhoods and commercial areas depicted in urban sections
Historical context & cartographic details
- Historical 1:24,000 topographical map of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, and the surrounding area
- Created in 1954 with a 1958 imprint
- Published by the United States Geological Survey (USGS)
- The USGS is a scientific agency of the U.S. government known for providing reliable information about the Earth, natural resources, and the environment
- Shows Ocean Springs and surrounding coastal and inland regions
- Ocean Springs is known for its historic architecture and vibrant arts scene
- Uses color coding, including green for land elevations and blue for water bodies
- Features distinct lines for roads and railways
- Contour lines show changes in terrain and elevation
- Highlights coastal geography and wetland areas typical of Mississippi
- Provides insight into mid-20th-century land use and geographic features
- Useful for observing later changes such as urban development, shifting land use, and alterations to natural features
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.
Titled simply “Ocean Springs,” this United States Geological Survey map presents the Mississippi Gulf Coast at a detailed 1:24,000 scale, created from 1954 mapping and issued with a 1958 imprint. It captures Ocean Springs and its surrounding coastal terrain at a moment when the town still balanced small-city life, maritime character, and the natural rhythms of bayou and marsh. The map’s clean USGS style gives equal authority to settlement, infrastructure, and landscape: roads and railways thread through neighborhoods, while blue waterways and carefully drawn contours reveal the low, intricate geography of the Gulf Coast. As a mid-century document, it offers a precise view of land use before later waves of development reshaped many coastal communities.
The mapmaker, the United States Geological Survey, brought to this sheet the scientific discipline that made its topographic maps indispensable for engineers, planners, travelers, and historians. Founded in the nineteenth century to study the nation’s geology, resources, and terrain, the USGS became the standard-bearer for systematic mapping in the United States. Here, its characteristic visual language is on full display: measured contour intervals, clear hydrographic detail, classified roads, rail lines, and symbols for built features. The result is not merely a navigational tool, but a finely organized portrait of place. Every line reflects the agency’s mission to describe the American landscape with accuracy, usefulness, and understated elegance.
Ocean Springs itself gives the map particular cultural resonance. Long associated with historic architecture, coastal resort life, and a lively arts tradition, the town occupies a distinctive position along Mississippi’s shoreline, facing Biloxi Bay and connected to a network of bayous, roads, and neighboring communities. On this sheet, the urban fabric appears in measured detail, with residential and commercial areas set against open land, marsh, and water. The map evokes a period before contemporary expansion fully transformed the Gulf Coast, making it especially valuable for understanding mid-twentieth-century settlement patterns. It shows Ocean Springs not as an isolated town, but as part of a broader coastal system shaped by water, transportation, and local industry.
The physical geography is especially compelling. Davis Bayou, Fort Bayou, Biloxi Bay, and the Back Bay of Biloxi form a complex watery framework around the mapped area, reminding the viewer how deeply coastal Mississippi is defined by estuaries, wetlands, and tidal margins. Blue washes and channel lines articulate lakes, rivers, marshes, and bayous, while the subtle contouring records the modest but meaningful elevation changes of a low coastal landscape. Inland, the presence of De Soto National Forest situates Ocean Springs within a larger ecological setting, where pine lands and wetland environments meet the developed coast. The map is therefore as much an environmental record as a civic one.
As a historical object, this map invites comparison between the Ocean Springs of the 1950s and the Gulf Coast of today. Roads, railways, parklands, neighborhoods, and undeveloped tracts together reveal patterns of movement and land use before decades of suburban growth, infrastructure change, storm impact, and environmental pressure. Its topographic detail makes visible both the resilience and vulnerability of the region: marshes, bayous, and low-lying coastal edges appear not as background features, but as defining elements of everyday geography. For collectors, historians, and admirers of the Mississippi coast, “Ocean Springs” offers a richly informative snapshot of a beloved coastal community at a pivotal mid-century moment.
Cities, towns and places on this map
- Ocean Springs
- Davis Bayou
- Biloxi Bay
- De Soto National Forest
- Back Bay of Biloxi
- Fort Bayou
- Roads and railways marked for navigation
- Parks and recreational areas
- Bodies of water, including lakes, marshes, and rivers
- Residential neighborhoods and commercial areas depicted in urban sections
Historical context & cartographic details
- Historical 1:24,000 topographical map of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, and the surrounding area
- Created in 1954 with a 1958 imprint
- Published by the United States Geological Survey (USGS)
- The USGS is a scientific agency of the U.S. government known for providing reliable information about the Earth, natural resources, and the environment
- Shows Ocean Springs and surrounding coastal and inland regions
- Ocean Springs is known for its historic architecture and vibrant arts scene
- Uses color coding, including green for land elevations and blue for water bodies
- Features distinct lines for roads and railways
- Contour lines show changes in terrain and elevation
- Highlights coastal geography and wetland areas typical of Mississippi
- Provides insight into mid-20th-century land use and geographic features
- Useful for observing later changes such as urban development, shifting land use, and alterations to natural features
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.
Many of our maps and art prints are chosen as thoughtful gifts for homes, offices, studies and meaningful places.
Choose a framed option for the easiest ready-to-hang gift, or choose an unframed print if the recipient may prefer to select their own frame.
We make orders locally in 23 countries around the world, so gifts can often be produced close to the recipient. This helps them arrive faster, travel more safely, and avoid customs or import duty surprises.
- We can deliver directly to the recipient
- Framed pieces arrive ready to hang
- Unframed prints are carefully packed in a strong protective tube
- Almost every order is made locally, for faster, safer gifting
- 90-day returns give the recipient time to decide
If you are not sure what to choose, please contact us. We can help you pick the right map, size, finish or delivery option.
Most orders are made locally and delivered in around 2–3 working days, depending on the product, size and destination.
We print and frame maps and artwork in 23 countries around the world, so your order is usually made close to you or your recipient. That means faster delivery, less time in transit, and no customs or import duty surprises.
Personalised and customised pieces usually take an extra 1–2 working days, because we prepare your design and send it to you for approval before printing.
Very large framed orders can take a little longer, as they need extra care in production and delivery.
Every order is carefully packaged: unframed prints are sent in a strong protective tube, while framed pieces are securely packed with protective materials around the frame.
If you need your order by a particular date, please contact us before ordering. We’ll check the best production route and delivery option for your location.
Express delivery is available at checkout for most countries. Next-day delivery is available in the UK, US, Singapore and the UAE.
Your order is covered by our 90-day returns policy and 10-year guarantee.
Our standard frame is a gallery-style black ash hardwood frame, with a simple, modern look. It is approximately 20mm (0.8in) wide. You can also view some lovely customer photos of framed maps and art.
We use super-clear acrylic glazing, also known as Perspex or Acrylite, instead of traditional glass. It is lighter, safer, and has lower reflectivity, giving the artwork a clearer, cleaner appearance.
Six standard frame colours are available at no extra cost: black, dark brown, dark grey, oak, white, and antique gold. Custom framing and mounting/matting is also available for customers looking for something more specific.
Most maps, art prints, and illustrations are also available as a framed canvas. We use matte cotton canvas, stretch it over a sustainably sourced wooden box frame, and then float the piece within a wooden outer frame. The finished result is beautifully presented, with no glazing between you and the artwork.
All frames are supplied ready to hang, with either string or brackets fitted to the back. Very large frames will include heavy-duty hanging plates and/or a mounting baton. If you have any questions, please get in touch.
We can also supply old maps and artwork on canvas, foam board, cotton rag, and other materials.
If you would prefer to frame your map or artwork yourself, please read our size guide before ordering.
Every Unique Maps piece begins with an authentic cartographic source or an original design from our London studio.
For our historic maps, we source rare originals from libraries, archives, auction houses and private collections around the world. We carefully restore each map for print—repairing age-related damage, balancing colour and improving clarity while preserving its original detail, texture and character.
Once restored, the map is prepared for your chosen size and finish. Your piece is then printed and, where selected, framed close to its delivery destination.
Our map prints use acid-free 200gsm archival matte paper and fade-resistant pigment inks, creating a rich, non-glossy finish designed to last. Framed maps use crystal-clear optical acrylic and arrive ready to hang.
Canvas, cotton-rag and other specialist presentations are also available. Learn more about our materials and finishes.
Personalising your map
You can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. For personalised designs, we send a proof before printing and you can request changes before approval.
For more complex bespoke commissions, contact our design team.
Original or Aged
Choose Original for true-to-source colour, or Aged for a warmer, richer antique character created with our specialist ageing process. See examples of our Aged maps.
We’ve been restoring and producing maps and art prints since 1984, and we stand behind every piece.
Every order is covered by our 10-year guarantee and damage-free delivery guarantee. If your piece arrives damaged, we’ll replace or remake it free of charge. If anything else isn’t right, contact our workshop team and we’ll put it right promptly.
See our returns and refund policy for full details.
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