2016 Map of Baldwin Gap

About this map

Baldwin Gap marks a significant high point along the Tennessee and North Carolina border, where the Tennessee Valley Divide separates the western-flowing Forge Creek from the headwaters of the North Fork New River. This 2016 survey documents a landscape defined by isolated family settlements and high-altitude ridges like Catface Mountain and Pond Mountain. In the valleys near Ashland and Sutherland, a remarkable concentration of family cemeteries, including the Graybeal Cemetery and Osborne Cemetery, speaks to generations of upland farming and deep-rooted local genealogy. The geography is characterized by narrow hollows such as Johnson Hollow and Graybeal Hollow, where small communities like Green Valley emerged along the primary mountain gaps. Large tracts of the Cherokee National Forest are visible to the west, preserving the highland character of this tri-county intersection involving Ashe, Watauga, and Johnson counties.