Map of Peterborough, New Hampshire by USGS, 1987 – Mount Monadnock & Nubanusit Lake

Published in 1987 under the original title “Peterborough South,” this United States Geological Survey map presents a finely observed portrait of the Monadnock region of southern New Hampshire. Its “provisional” status gives it particular documentary interest: rather than a purely polished final edition, it reflects the USGS’s working cartographic record of a landscape understood through contemporary survey, classification, and field interpretation. The map centers on Peterborough and its surrounding countryside, translating village roads, wooded slopes, streams, lakes, and upland terrain into the disciplined visual language of American topographic mapping. With its green land tint, precise contour lines, and standardized symbols, it captures not merely where places were, but how the terrain itself shaped settlement, movement, and local identity.

The United States Geological Survey brought to this map the institutional rigor that made its quadrangles indispensable to planners, engineers, geologists, hikers, and local historians. Founded in 1879, the USGS became the nation’s authoritative mapper of landforms, watersheds, resources, and infrastructure, marrying scientific measurement with a remarkably legible cartographic style. On “Peterborough South,” that tradition is evident in the careful rendering of elevation, drainage, transportation routes, and land cover. Roads, railways, trails, and watercourses are not decorative details but part of an interconnected geographic system. The map’s symbols and contours make the region readable at a glance, while rewarding closer study with evidence of how human settlement fits into the older framework of hills, valleys, lakes, and streams.

Peterborough itself appears as the principal populated place, set within a landscape long admired for its village character, historic architecture, and cultural vitality. The surrounding towns and communities—Sharon, Temple, and Harrisville among them—extend the map’s sense of a settled but still deeply rural New Hampshire. Roads thread between village centers, farms, wooded tracts, and higher ground, suggesting the intimate scale of local travel in the late twentieth century. The map also records railways and trails, reminders of different eras of movement through the region: industrial, recreational, and everyday. In this context, Peterborough is not shown as an isolated town, but as part of a wider social and geographic network shaped by terrain, water, and long-established routes.

The topographic character of the map is especially compelling. Contour lines describe a rugged, varied country of hills, valleys, and upland ridges, with East Hill, West Hill, Atkinson Peak, and the broader presence of Mount Monadnock anchoring the surrounding landscape. Lakes such as Contoocook Lake and Nubanusit Lake lend the map a striking hydrological structure, while river junctions, streams, and smaller drainage features reveal how water organizes the terrain. The density and spacing of the contours show the difference between gentler settled lowlands and steeper forested slopes, allowing the viewer to sense the rise and fall of the land. Parks, forests, and trails further emphasize the region’s enduring relationship between conservation, recreation, and New England’s granite uplands.

As a 1987 record, “Peterborough South” offers a valuable snapshot of the Monadnock region at a moment when land use, environmental planning, and rural development were all under close scrutiny. Its depiction of roads, lakeshores, forests, and settlement patterns provides a baseline against which later changes can be measured, from residential expansion to conservation initiatives and recreational access. The map’s provisional nature heightens this sense of immediacy, preserving the USGS’s contemporary understanding of a living landscape rather than a purely historical abstraction. For collectors, historians, and admirers of New Hampshire, it is a richly detailed document of place: scientific in method, elegant in design, and evocative of the enduring character of Peterborough and its surrounding hills.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Peterborough
• Sharon
• Temple
• Harrisville
• Contoocook Lake
• Nubanusit Lake
• Mt. Monadnock
• East Hill
• West Hill
• Atkinson Peak
• River junctions and streams
• Roads
• Railways
• Trails
• Parks and forests
• Notable local geological features, including hills and valleys

Historical context & cartographic details

• Published in 1987 by the United States Geological Survey (USGS)
• Historical topographical map issued with “provisional” status
• Uses a green land-color scheme with contour lines to show elevation changes
• Follows USGS cartographic standards, using distinct symbols for geographical features
• Depicts varied and potentially rugged terrain through detailed topographic contouring
• Reflects land use and geographic understanding of the area in the late 20th century
• Offers a snapshot useful for studying development, conservation, and land management changes over time

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.