Published with a 1964 imprint from 1955 survey data, the US Geological Survey’s “Roselle” quadrangle captures a highly dynamic portion of northern New Jersey at a pivotal moment in its postwar transformation. At 1:24,000 scale, the map presents Summit, Westfield, Roselle, Cranford, Springfield, Millburn, Union, Linden, and neighboring communities with the precision and restraint characteristic of mid-century federal topographic mapping. Red urban tinting marks the expanding built environment, while green areas preserve the visual presence of parks, reservations, and woodland. Contour lines reveal the subtle but meaningful relief between the Watchung slopes near Summit and Short Hills and the lower, more intensively developed lands toward Elizabeth, Rahway, and Woodbridge.

The US Geological Survey brought scientific rigor and a distinctly American visual language to maps such as this, combining field survey, aerial interpretation, and standardized symbology into a document of both practical and historical value. The “Roselle” sheet belongs to the celebrated 7.5-minute quadrangle series, a format designed to record local landscapes in exceptional detail. Roads, rail lines, streams, municipal boundaries, schools, cemeteries, industrial sites, and parklands are rendered with quiet authority. Its color scheme is especially evocative: red identifies dense settlement and major cultural features, green distinguishes wooded and recreational land, blue traces watercourses, and brown contours articulate the underlying terrain. The result is a remarkably legible portrait of suburban New Jersey before later waves of redevelopment further transformed the region.

Among the most compelling features is the map’s portrayal of the transition from older town centers to the expanding automobile suburbs of Union County and eastern Morris County. Westfield, Summit, Cranford, Millburn, and New Providence appear as established communities connected by a lattice of local roads, rail corridors, and emerging regional infrastructure. The New Jersey Turnpike, one of the defining engineering projects of the postwar Northeast, anchors the southeastern portion of the map, emphasizing the growing importance of high-speed travel and freight movement. The Rahway Valley Railroad is also shown, recalling an earlier industrial and commuter geography that linked small manufacturing districts, depots, and towns long before the modern highway landscape reached maturity.

Natural and recreational landscapes provide a striking counterpoint to the dense urban pattern. Watchung Reservation, Echo Lake Park, and Nomahegan Park appear as green refuges within an increasingly developed metropolitan corridor. The map’s contours gently describe the Watchung Mountains and associated ridges, especially around Summit, Short Hills, Gillette, and Mountainside, where elevation and topography helped shape settlement, road alignments, and park preservation. Streams and river systems, including the Rahway River and tributaries associated with the Raritan drainage, thread through the towns and lowlands, reminding the viewer that this built landscape remained tied to older natural systems. These waterways influenced transportation routes, industrial siting, floodplains, and the placement of public open space.

As a historical document, “Roselle” offers a richly detailed snapshot of northern New Jersey before subsequent decades of intensified suburbanization, highway expansion, commercial redevelopment, and changing land use. Communities such as Union, Clark, Linden, Kenilworth, Rahway, and Woodbridge are shown in a period when residential growth, industrial corridors, rail lines, and parklands still formed a visibly layered landscape. The map records not only where roads and towns lay, but how metropolitan growth was organized at mid-century: compact centers, rail-linked suburbs, preserved reservations, and new expressways coexisting in close proximity. For collectors, historians, and admirers of American cartography, it is a finely composed study of place, infrastructure, and transformation in one of the nation’s most densely settled regions.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Summit
• Westfield
• Springfield
• Cranford
• Gillette
• Millburn
• Short Hills
• New Providence
• Mountainside
• Union
• Linden
• Roselle
• Kenilworth
• Rahway
• Clark
• Woodbridge
• Elizabeth
• Millburn Township
• Watchung Reservation
• Echo Lake Park
• Nomahegan Park
• Raritan River
• Rahway River
• Rahway Valley Railroad
• New Jersey Turnpike
• Various local roads and trails throughout the area

Historical context & cartographic details

• Map name: Roselle
• Produced by the US Geological Survey
• Historical 1:24,000 topographical map of Summit, Westfield, and the surrounding area in New Jersey
• Based on 1955 mapping, with a 1964 imprint
• Uses traditional topographic styling with distinct colors for land elevations and land uses
• Green indicates vegetation, while red highlights urban areas
• Terrain is shown with contour lines to indicate elevation changes
• Color variation emphasizes the contrast between populated and natural areas
• Shows mid-20th-century urban development patterns that have likely changed significantly since the original mapping data was collected

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.