This Map of the Compact Portion of Boston, by civil and topographical engineer O.W. Gray comes from Gray's Atlas of the United States with General Maps of the World, one of the 19th century's most authoritative and graphically elegant American atlases of the 19th century. The map is a highly detailed and focused look at Boston as the transportation hub for all of the surrounding towns and region, by rail and ship. The map indicates lines of filling of Boston Harbor. Details of important neighborhood features are drawn such as the Reservoir in South Boston. The footprint of the U.S. Custom House is shown in downtown Boston with its the relationship to the heavily used piers. All of the major rail lines are shown entering Boston from all directions, with the Boston and Lowell and Nashua and Lowell Railroad Quays shown in Charlestown. Portions of Somerville and East Cambridge are also shown in fine detail.
The map is both historic and highly decorative.