On this page we offer a selection of 19th century coastal survey maps of locations in the USA. These maps are superb examples of surveyors' art, and are awesome when you think about the challenging conditions faced by the survey crews who made the originals. The maps might be ideal if you are looking for something interesting and different to decorate a wall.

We downloaded the 2-bit (black and white) scanned images of the original maps from the public-domain archives of the National Ocean Service of the USA in 2001 and 2002. Images of this type are no longer available from this source, which is why we offer modified versions here. We have added a coloured and textured background and optimised the maps for printing and framing. We only claim copyright to the background. At the bottom of each map there is an acknowledgement of the source of the map.

The National Ocean Service currently offers a huge selection of current and historical maps in alternative formats for viewing and downloading. To see their offerings, start at www.chartmaker.ncd.noaa.gov/csdl/ctp/abstract.htm.

Our maps are supplied as 8-bit/256 colour .png files. Printing resolution is pre-set so that you can print them out straight away on A4- or Letter-size paper. However, the maps look best when printed at larger sizes - the text on the maps looks most "natural" when the maps are printed at around 80 dpc/200dpi.

Here is a view of the first map in our collection. The "thumbnail" is large so you can see some of the fine detail - please allow a few moments for loading. To see a typical map detail, click HERE

The eight maps in our present collection are listed below. To see the map of your choice, click the "view" link. The thumbnail files vary from 67 to 136 KB in size, so you might need to be a bit patient if you don't have a high-speed connection.


Map No.	Abbreviated Map Title	Map Size, pixels, incl border	File Size, MB

AHSM01	Behm Canal, 1882	3654 x 3350	1.59	Above	Buy	€3

AHSM02	Frederick Sound, 1882	3734 x 3476	1.42	View	Buy	€3

AHSM03	Alaska Base Map, 1895	5300 x 2784	1.82	View	Buy	€3

AHSM04	Sumner Strait, 1882	5368 x 3401	2.34	View	Buy	€3

AHSM05	San Francisco, 1869	3411 x 5260	6.45	View	Buy	€3

AHSM06	York River Harbor, 1854	5033 x 3953	4.19	View	Buy	€3

AHSM07	Bar Harbor, 1885	4951 x 4230	5.99	View	Buy	€3

AHSM08	Cape Anne Coast, 1879	6334 x 3520	3.94	View	Buy	€3