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1943 Map of Black Mountain

Name: 1943 Topographic Map of Black Mountain
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1943
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1943

About this map

Black Mountain and the surrounding high country of the Blue Ridge Mountains are documented here during the early 1940s, a period of established institutional presence in the region. The map highlights significant religious and social centers including the Blue Ridge YMCA Camp, the Mountain Orphanage, and several congregational sites like Tabernacle Ch and Curteys Chapel. This landscape is deeply defined by its geography, where the eastern continental divide separates the headwaters of the Catawba River and the Broad River from the Swannanoa River basin.

Infrastructure for transportation and health is prominent, with the Southern Railway passing through the Swannanoa Gap and Ridgecrest. The presence of the Fellowship Sanatorium, State Hospital, and State Test Farm indicates the specialized land use common to this mountain climate during the mid-20th century. High elevations like Kitsuma Peak and High Windy tower over the valleys, providing a clear picture of the terrain before later modern development.