1952 Map of Belleville

About this map

Belleville Lake and the winding Huron River anchor this mid-century portrait of western Wayne County. The landscape reflects a transition from rural agriculture to industrial-era connectivity, defined by the Wabash RR and the Detroit Industrial Expressway cutting across Van Buren and Romulus townships. Genealogists will find significant value in the documentation of several family and community resting places, including Hillside Cem near Belleville and the Martinsville Cem in the southern settlement of Martinsville. Local landmarks like French Landing and the Mt Pleasant Sch appear alongside an extensive network of named agricultural drainage systems such as McClaughrey Drain and Strong Drain. The map also captures the early footprint of Romulus and New Boston before the massive expansion of the nearby metropolitan airport changed the character of these crossroads forever.