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1890 Map of Berlin

Name: 1890 Topographic Map of Berlin
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1890
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1890

About this map

Berlin and its neighboring villages sit at the heart of this late nineteenth-century study of the New York and Massachusetts borderlands. The landscape is defined by the heavy presence of the Taconic Range, with Berlin Mtn. and Potter Mtn. framing a valley dominated by the Lebanon Springs Railroad. This rail line serves as the primary artery for a string of rural settlements, including Berlin Center, South Berlin, and North Stephentown, where a dedicated Station marks the transport hub.

Upland areas to the west show a dense network of water bodies, such as Big Bowman Pond and Kendall Pond, feeding into the Poesten Kill and Tackawick Creek. The survey captures a moment when agrarian life and small-scale industry clustered around these waterways, with villages like Stephentown Center and Garfield connected by a winding network of primitive roads. The map's detail preserves the specific names of local hollows and hills, such as Goodrich Hollow and Buckwheat Hill, which offer significant value for genealogists tracing family lands in this border region.