1939 Map of Baldwin Gap

About this map

Stone Mountain and Willen Mountain define the high-elevation divide where the Tennessee and North Carolina borders meet in 1938. The Tennessee Valley Authority mapped this high country during a time when remote mountain communities were still anchored by small country schools and churches. Deep in the hollows and along the ridges, life centered around points like Hammon Chapel and the Laurel Springs Sch, while the Tennessee Valley Divide separated the drainage of the South Fork from the North Fork. The map reveals a settlement pattern of isolated farmsteads and family landmarks, including the Payne Cem near Hemlock and the Wallace Cem to the south. Much of the northern terrain is managed as part of the Cherokee National Forest, highlighting the intersection of federal land management and traditional Appalachian mountain life in the late 1930s.