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1904 Map of Batavia

Name: 1904 Topographic Map of Batavia
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1939
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1939

About this map

Batavia serves as the central hub for a dense network of late 19th-century rail lines that defined Western New York commerce. This survey by W.H. Lovell and H.M. Wilson details the complex convergence of the New York Central & Hudson River R R, the Lehigh Valley R R, and the Erie R R, which connect outlying hamlets like East Alexander and Stafford. The landscape is etched with the courses of Tonawanda Creek and Oatka Creek, which shaped the placement of local industries and agricultural centers.

Local researchers will find significant markers of early 20th-century social and rural life, such as the County Farm located south of Bethany. The map illustrates the topographical transition from the flatter northern plains into the higher elevations near Burk Hill and Orangeville. From the busy rail junctions of Pavilion to the quiet valley of Pearl Creek, the sheet provides a precise look at the settlements and infrastructure of Genesee and Wyoming counties before the automobile reshaped these small communities.