1969 Map of Arley

About this map

Lewis Smith Lake dominates this 1969 survey, its winding fingers reaching deep into the forested hills of the William B Bankhead National Forest. The town of Arley serves as a central hub for the surrounding rural communities, characterized by a concentration of local institutions including Meek High Sch, Meek Ch, and the Meek Lookout Tower. This landscape illustrates the mid-century intersection of recreation and traditional rural life, where Boat Ramps share space with long-established family sites like Robertson Chapel Cem and Mt Hope Cem. The irregular shoreline of the Sipsey Fork and the Rock Creek arm of the lake created new peninsulas like Wilson Bend, reshaping the way residents interacted with the local geography. Numerous country churches, such as Old Bethel Ch and Piney Ridge Ch, remain as anchors for the dispersed population throughout the quadrangle.