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1953 Map of Ashaway

Name: 1953 Topographic Map of Ashaway
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1957
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1957

About this map

The Pawcatuck River serves as the winding boundary between Connecticut and Rhode Island, anchoring a landscape of industrial hamlets and riverfront villages. In the south, the twin settlements of Westerly and Pawcatuck dominate the valley, showing a dense network of streets and rail infrastructure served by the New York New Haven and Hartford RR. The terrain transitions from the developed river corridor to the wooded uplands of the Pachaug State Forest in the northwest and the Woody Hill Reservation in the southeast.

Smaller milling and residential centers like Potter Hill, Ashaway, and Bradford follow the river’s course, while the northern reaches remain sparsely populated with family-named landmarks such as Pendleton Hill and Maxon Hill. Genealogy researchers will find several well-defined burial grounds, including St Michael Cem, and the rural crossing at Clarks Falls. The map captures the region at a moment of transition, balancing the established textile and manufacturing towns with the preservation of massive marshlands like Bell-Cedar Swamp.