1940 Map of Benton

About this map

The Hiwassee River and Ocoee River define this Southeast Tennessee landscape, converging amidst a patchwork of bottomlands and ridges just before the onset of major mid-century industrial changes. Centered on the town of Benton, the area reveals a rural economy tied to the waterways and the Louisville and Nashville railroad line. Industrial remnants of an earlier era are visible at Chestuee Mills and the Old Wilson Mill, while the rising waters of the Chickamauga Res at the northern edge of the map signal the Tennessee Valley Authority's transformative influence on the region's geography.