1983 Map of Ashland

About this map

The village of Ashland anchors the southeastern corner of this Central Illinois landscape, where the Illinois Central Gulf corridor meets the rolling agricultural land of Cass County. This 1983 provisional survey captures the region's rural character, marked by a network of drainage systems like Panther Creek and Little Indian Creek that carve through the prairie. Settlement patterns are defined by small crossroads and family legacies, evidenced by numerous burial grounds including Garner Chapel Cem and McDonald Cem. While Ashland serves as the primary population center with its High Sch and St Augustine Cem, the map also documents the smaller community of Philadelphia to the west. A notable piece of local history is the Old Railroad Grade running through the township of Philadelphia, tracing a former transport route that once connected these farming outposts before the modern rail era.