1959 Map of Bear Branch

About this map

Laughery Creek carves a winding path through the borderlands of Ohio and Dearborn counties, defining a landscape of deep hollows and high ridges in the mid-1950s. The settlement of Farmers Retreat stands as a focal point in Caesar Creek township, accompanied by St Johns Ch and its namesake school. Further south, the community of Bear Branch serves as a crossroads near the Ohio and Switzerland County line, where Freedom Sch and Olive Branch Ch once supported the rural population. Numerous family and church cemeteries, such as Conway Cem, Pelser Cem, and Pate Cem, are scattered across the uplands, offering significant data for genealogists. The map also reveals the rural layout of Downey Corner and Milton, connected by unimproved roads that trace the contours of Mexico Ridge and Sangamaw Ridge.