Loading map...

1958 Map of Augusta

Name: 1958 Topographic Map of Augusta
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1958
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1958

About this map

Augusta and Columbia anchor this mid-century portrait of the South Carolina and Georgia borderlands. The landscape is defined by the massive water management projects of the coastal plain, notably the expansive Lake Marion and Lake Moultrie reservoirs along the Santee River. A critical era of Cold War infrastructure is visible south of Aiken at the Savannah River Plant (AEC), a massive federal installation that altered the geography of several counties.

Transit networks of the 1950s show the primary reliance on rail lines like the Southern and Atlantic Coast Line, which connect rural agricultural hubs such as Orangeburg, Bamberg, and Barnwell. From the Sand Hills down to the Four Hole Swamp, the map documents a transition from the industrial and military hubs of the Piedmont to the deep swamps and wildlife refuges of the lowcountry, including the Santee National Wildlife Refuge and Cypress Gardens.