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1894 Map of Allentown

Name: 1894 Topographic Map of Allentown
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1905
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1905

About this map

The Lehigh River corridor serves as the industrial and transportation backbone of this late 19th-century landscape, dominated by the emerging urban centers of Allentown and Bethlehem. The map captures a critical period when the Lehigh Canal still parallels the river, providing a historical footprint of early water-borne commerce alongside the expanding networks of the Central R.R. of N.J. and the Lehigh Valley lines.

Beyond the river towns, the geography transitions into a dense network of smaller settlements and agricultural townships like Lower Nazareth and East Allen. Genealogists will find a wealth of specific locales such as Siegfried, Catasauqua, and Hellertown, along with distinct landmarks like Stone Church and Hexenkopf Hill. The detailed surveying by R. D. Cummin and Jas. Mc. McCormick also preserves the location of numerous islands, including Calypso Id. and Smith Id., before many were altered by later development.