Sometimes there’s no better pastime for a Boston history lover than gushing over old maps that illustrate the evolution of the Shawmut Peninsula. It’s comes as no surprise to many Bostonians, and even those knowledgeable outsiders, that much of present day Boston’s landscape is actually a landfill. A new collection of interactive maps courtesy of the United States Geological Survey lets users overlay maps of Boston from different time periods to show just exactly how much has changed over the millennia.

Aptly called the USGS Historical Topographic Map Explorer, the tool makes maps available from different eras in American history, though admittedly doesn’t even come close to charting Boston’s beginnings. The earliest map available is from 1893. Boston, as we all studiously know, was founded in 1630.

Famed explorer John Smith’s earliest cartographic display of New England, from excursions of the region in 1614, depicts the Charles River, the Shawmut Peninsula and the Boston Harbor Islands.

So yes, while over 260 years worth of charts and maps are unavailable for our viewing pleasure, it’s still fun to play around with.

If you check out the 1893 map, you’ll notice that the Shawmut isn’t nearly as skinny as it once was and that the contemporary Seaport, East Boston and parts of Cambridge are virtually nonexistent. Landfill had already started burgeoning Boston’s borders but didn’t expand to Southie’s waterfront, Eastie or Cambridge for about another 40-years, at least according to the maps.

Have fun toying around with Boston history. Feel free to let us know of the most juxtaposing, or perhaps most artistic, maps in the comments section below.

h/t CityLab