1951 Map of Belleville

About this map

Belleville and the surrounding highlands of the Elk Ridge and Chestnut Ridge define this landscape at the intersection of Lincoln, Marshall, Bedford, and Moore Counties. The map reveals a deeply etched topography of named hollows, such as Stoneborough Hollow and Ashby Hollow, where family-named cemeteries like Sorrells Cem and Nichols Cem testify to generations of rural settlement. The road network, including the Florida Short Route, connects small community centers and spiritual landmarks like Hannah Gap Church and Mt Hebron Ch. Watercourses including Norris Creek and Little Cane Creek drain the narrow valleys, providing the geographic framework for the agricultural and timbered slopes of the mid-20th century. This document captures the distribution of rural farmsteads and rural infrastructure before modernization altered many of these interior Tennessee corridors.