Manufacturer: Esso Company
Measuring 8 1/4 inch by 4 inch folded, this 1941 New England road map is in the pictorial format and was put out by the Esso company in 1941. On the front it has the Esso logo and says New England with pictorial guide 1941. The middle shows a black and white photo of a moutain stream with birch trees along it. It has the caption: In the heart of the White Mountains boulder-strewn Peabody River threads its way through Pinkham Notch to join the Androscoggin. The bottom shows the words Colonial Beacon Oil Company.
On the back of the folded map, it features information on Esso Marketers' Nation-Wide Credit Card Plan and shows by symobls the identification signs displayed at service stations and dealers of the various companies who will honor your Esso Credit Card: Standard Oil Company of New Jersey, Standard Oil Company of Louisiana, Standard Oil Company of Pennsylvania, Colonial Beacon Oil Company, Kesbec, Inc. The bottom sums up the whole purpose of this map: For YOUR greater convenience when you travel.
When unfolded, the map is 34 inches long x 23 3/4 inches wide. On the one side, it features a regular map with an insert of Boston. The outside features a map of Maine with inserts of Providence RI and New Haven CT. It also features what I think is the most interesting feature of the map: A Pictorial Guide to New England. Each of the New England states' major tourist attractions are shown with a colored picture. Of course, this is a map from 1941 so some attractions may not exist today while others still exist and are going strong. Here are highlights of the attractions shown:
Vermont: Mount Mansfield, Mount Philo, Gathering sap, Smugglers Notch, Fort Ethan Allen, Brookfield Floating Bridge, Old Stone Museum (Orleans), Brunswick Mineral Springs, Mape Sugar Center (St. Johnsbury), State House (Montpelier), Joseph Smith Memorial, Constitution House (Windsor), Bennington Battle Monument, Marble Exhibit (Proctor), Sandbar State Park, Groton State Forest, Barre Granite.
Each of the New England states features detailed references and cross-referenced locations such as Connecticut's Judson House, Maine's Ruggles House, Massachusetts' Faneuil Hall, New Hampshire's Saint-Gaudens Studio, Rhode Island's Gilbert Stuart birthplace, Vermont's Calvin Coolidge birthplace.
Connecticut (12), Maine 13), Massachusetts (22), New Hampshire (19, Rhode Island (4), Vermont (9).
What an interesting way to present history to today's students or just start up a nostalgic talk with some grandparents on the trips of their youth!
Best of all, this map is what is considered in the trade as "old new stock", which means that is was never distributed or circulated. It was found in an old trucking company's warehouse which has been out of business many years. So, condition wise, there is no damage dues to tears, rips etc. There is some minor discoloration to the original white paper, but since the map is now 66 years old, that is to be expected.
Buy now and use it as a reference and a piece of New England and Esso history. |
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