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1959 Map of Bessemer

Name: 1959 Topographic Map of Bessemer
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1960
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1960

About this map

Industrial expansion and dense rail networks dominate this 1959 study of the Jones Valley corridor. The massive Tennessee Coal Iron and Railroad network intertwines with the Birmingham Southern and Louisville and Nashville lines, serving a landscape shaped by mineral extraction and processing. Significant educational and civic institutions anchor the local communities, including Miles Memorial College in Fairfield and several prominent high schools such as Westfield High Sch and Dunbar High Sch.

The residential fabric is tightly woven around these industrial centers, with established neighborhoods like Hueytown and Brighton showing clear expansion into newer developments such as Pleasant Grove Estates and Roosevelt-Cairo Village. Geologic features like Red Mountain and Shades Mountain flank the valley, while cemeteries including Cedar Hill Cemetery and Beth-El Cem provide important records for local genealogists and family historians.