Charting the Chesapeake: A Mid-Century Survey of Maryland's Most Storied Waters
Severn and Magothy Rivers Nautical Chart, Annapolis, Maryland 1967
In 1967, the year Apollo 1 caught fire on the launch pad and the Summer of Love bloomed across America, a cartographer sat down to render the Severn and Magothy Rivers with scientific precision. The result was a map that captures a specific moment in Annapolis's maritime identity, before sprawl reshaped the shoreline and before the Chesapeake Bay became a symbol of ecological fragility.
This was the age of the coastal survey, when government hydrographers still believed in comprehensive charts drawn by hand and expertise. The Severn and Magothy Rivers nautical chart you see here, rendered at 1:25,000 scale on a Mercator projection, represents that methodical tradition. Every contour line marking the khaki-taupe land, every grey compass rose, every notation of soundings in feet at mean low water tells a story of navigation, commerce, and community.
The chart names places that still shape the region: Annapolis itself, West Annapolis, Gibson Island (home to a venerable yacht club), Sandy Point (now a state park), and Sherwood Forest. The Craighill Channel and Belvidere Shoal mark the deeper passages through open water. The pale blue shoals and spoil areas reveal where dredging shaped the bay. Even the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, which crossed these waters, appears as a line of strategic importance.
What strikes you now, looking at this 1967 chart, is its hybrid nature: hand-drawn artistry meets technical rigor. The color palette, khaki to pale blue to grey, feels both intimate and authoritative. This wasn't abstract cartography; it was a working document for pilots, fishermen, and sailors who depended on accuracy to move through waters their families had known for generations.
Paper & Craft. We've reproduced this vintage nautical chart on 325gsm museum-grade archival matte paper using fade-resistant giclée printing. The textured surface and archival inks ensure your chart will maintain its maritime heritage and rich color depth for decades, never yellowing or fading.