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1952 Map of Berea

Name: 1952 Topographic Map of Berea
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1953
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1953

About this map

The campus of Berea College anchors this mid-century portrait of southern Madison County, where the bluegrass lowlands meet the rising topography of the Cumberland Plateau. The settlement of Berea is clearly defined by the Louisville and Nashville railroad corridor, which tracks south through the passage at Boone Gap. This transportation spine links the town with smaller outlying communities like Farristown and Middletown, each with its own local church and identity.

Outside the central town, the landscape is dotted with rural institutions that served a dispersed agricultural population, such as Wallaceton and the Scaffold Cane School. The terrain becomes significantly more complex to the south and east, rising toward Bear Mountain and the headwaters of Silver Creek. Geologists and historians can trace the intricate network of family-named landmarks, including the Todd Cem, Ogg Cem, and Johnson Cem, which provide a detailed record of the families who settled these ridges and valleys.