Old Map of Greenwood, Mississippi by USGS, 1940 – Yazoo & Tallahatchie Rivers, Mississippi Delta

Titled “Greenwood,” this U.S. Geological Survey topographical map captures a richly detailed portion of the Mississippi Delta at a moment of mid-twentieth-century change. The map is dated 1940 and carries a 1945 imprint, placing its geographic observations at the threshold of wartime and postwar transformation. At a scale of 1:62,500, it presents Greenwood, Mississippi, not merely as a town, but as the organizing center of an intricate landscape of waterways, roads, rail lines, farms, and lowland terrain. The title’s simplicity is characteristic of USGS quadrangles, yet the map itself is a dense historical document, preserving the geography of a region where settlement, agriculture, transportation, and river systems were tightly interwoven.

Greenwood occupies a historically significant position in the Mississippi Delta, a region shaped by alluvial soils, cotton agriculture, and the constant presence of water. The Yazoo River and Tallahatchie River are among the defining features shown, their courses suggesting both opportunity and vulnerability in a landscape long influenced by flooding, drainage, and river engineering. Lesser tributaries, creeks, and low-lying valleys appear as part of a broader hydrological network that determined where people built roads, farms, and settlements. In this context, the map is especially evocative: it records not only place names and routes, but the physical logic of Delta life, where fertile land and unstable water were inseparable forces.

The U.S. Geological Survey’s cartographic style gives the map its distinctive authority and clarity. Contour lines, spot elevations, waterways, road classifications, and railroads are arranged with the disciplined precision for which the agency became renowned. Unlike more decorative maps, this quadrangle is purposeful and empirical, designed to translate the land into usable knowledge. Yet its visual language has an elegance of its own: the measured line work, careful labeling, and balanced hierarchy of natural and built features create a quietly sophisticated portrait of the terrain. The topographical treatment is particularly revealing in a region often imagined as flat, showing subtle changes in elevation that mattered greatly for drainage, farming, and settlement.

Transportation is one of the map’s most compelling historical themes. Roads, highways, and railroads radiate through and around Greenwood, showing the town’s role as a local hub within the Delta’s economic geography. By 1940, rail lines remained essential for agricultural shipment and regional movement, while improved roads increasingly shaped daily life and commercial exchange. The map preserves this transitional network, where older settlement patterns connected to newer automobile-era infrastructure. Small settlements, farms, and rural routes appear in relation to the larger town, offering a picture of how Greenwood served its surrounding countryside. For collectors, these transportation details make the map a valuable snapshot of regional connectivity before later highway expansion altered the landscape.

As a historical artifact, “Greenwood” offers more than geographic information: it opens a window onto land use, community development, and environmental conditions in the Mississippi Delta during the early to mid-twentieth century. Sections of agricultural land, forested areas, waterways, and scattered settlements suggest a working landscape shaped by cultivation and local industry. Comparing this map with the present day would reveal changes in urban growth, road alignments, river management, and rural land patterns. Its importance lies in that layered record—part scientific survey, part regional history, part portrait of a place defined by water and soil. The result is a compelling map of Greenwood and its surroundings at a pivotal historical moment.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Greenwood, Mississippi
• Yazoo River
• Tallahatchie River
• Lesser-known tributaries
• Various roads, including highways
• Railroads
• Nearby valleys and hills
• Sections of forests and agricultural land
• Points of interest related to water bodies, settlements, and farms

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the U.S. Geological Survey as a historical 1:62,500 topographical map of Greenwood, Mississippi, and the surrounding area
• Dated 1940 with a 1945 imprint
• Created by the U.S. Geological Survey, known for detailed mapping used in land management, environmental studies, and public safety
• Uses a traditional topographical style with contour lines to show elevation changes
• Likely features a mid-20th-century USGS color palette with clear line work
• Shows rivers, valleys, road networks, and other geographical features surrounding Greenwood
• Reflects a landscape shaped by agriculture and settlement during the early to mid-20th century
• Provides insight into mid-20th-century geographical and infrastructural development around Greenwood
• May help show later changes in land use, urban expansion, and transportation routes

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.