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1948 Map of Belvoir

Name: 1948 Topographic Map of Belvoir
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1948
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1948

About this map

Fort Belvoir dominates the Potomac shoreline in the late 1940s, its military footprint established across the peninsula between Accotink Bay and Pohick Bay. The map captures a transitional landscape where historic Virginia estates and colonial-era landmarks meet mid-century government expansion. On the northern reaches of Mason Neck, the proximity of Gunston Hall and Shiloh Ch to the burgeoning military reservation highlights the layers of regional history preserved here.

Transport corridors like the Richmond Fredericksburg and Potomac RR and the Richmond Highway provide the primary axes of movement, connecting established communities such as Lorton and Colchester. Further west, the massive District of Columbia Penal Institute occupies a significant tract of land, while family-named landmarks like Woodlawn and Benvenue offer critical reference points for genealogists researching the residents of Fairfax and Prince William counties before the era of suburban sprawl.