1976 Map of Ben Hur

About this map

Jonesville and Ben Hur anchor this 1976 orthophotomap of southwestern Virginia, where the landscape is defined by the tight, meandering loops of the Powell River. Unlike traditional line maps, this aerial imagery reveals the literal grain of the land, showing the patchwork of forest and clearings along Wallen Creek and the southern slopes toward Blackwater Creek. The settlement pattern follows the contours of the limestone-rich valleys, with roads threading through natural mountain breaks like Tip Top Gap and Hunter Gap. Smaller watercourses such as Town Branch and Sugar Run trace the finer details of the drainage basins, while the photographic detail preserves the exact footprint of farms and homesteads as they existed during the mid-1970s.