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1925 Map of Alexis

Name: 1925 Topographic Map of Alexis
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1925
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1925

About this map

The agricultural landscape of Mercer and Warren counties is defined here by a dense grid of rural schools and small settlements during the 1920s. Alexis sits as the principal hub at the intersection of the Chicago Burlington and Quincy and the Rock Island Southern railroads, with the latter line passing through Alexis Junction and northern outposts like Shale City. The terrain is deeply dissected by the Edwards River and North Henderson Creek, creating the winding valleys that historically dictated the placement of early homesteads and community structures.

Genealogists will find a remarkable concentration of localized landmarks, from Legal Corner to the Mann Cemetery and the Ohio Grove Church. The presence of specialized institutions like Carbon High School and more than twenty neighborhood schools—including Old Gilchrist School, Silver Lake School, and Duck Creek School—points to the high population density of this farming district before the consolidation of rural school districts in the mid-20th century.