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1956 Map of Bereah

Name: 1956 Topographic Map of Bereah
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1974
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1974

About this map

Mining operations and rural church communities define this central Florida landscape during the mid-1950s. The northern portion of the map is dominated by extractive industry, notably the Old Colony Mine (Inactive) with its associated Tailings Ponds, a Strip Mine, and a Borrow Pit. These features indicate the early development of Florida's phosphate district, which reshaped the local topography even as traditional landmarks remained intact.

South of these industrial sites, the small settlement of Bereah serves as a local hub near the Polk Co Hardee Co border. The map records important community markers for genealogists and local historians, including Mt Zion Ch, Athens Ch, and Eden Cem. The terrain is characterized by a network of waterways like Bowlegs Creek and Charlie Creek that wind through the low-lying wetlands and brush typical of the region before modern drainage and extensive citrus cultivation transformed the area.