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1954 Map of Blacks Ferry

Name: 1954 Topographic Map of Blacks Ferry
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1983
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1983

About this map

The Cumberland River defines the landscape of this Kentucky-Tennessee border region, carving dramatic horseshoe loops like Salt Lick Bend and Elbow Bend. Settlement patterns in the mid-1950s followed the intricate network of ridges and hollows, with small communities such as Martinsburg and Zeketown serving as local hubs. This topography is characterized by many small country schools, including Stalcup Sch, Coe Sch, and Xerxes Sch, many of which were located at remote ridge junctions or near the river bottomlands.

Evidence of local navigation and river-based life appears at Blacks Ferry and along gravel deposits like Wilburn Bar and Biggerstaff Bar. In the south, the map documents the northern reaches of Dale Hollow Lake near Hendricks Creek Sch, capturing the intersection of older farming communities and the newer water management projects of the mid-20th century. For genealogists, the map is particularly useful for locating family-named features like the Philpot Cem or Gaines Hill Sch Cem.