1953 Map of Blaine

About this map

The settlement of Blaine serves as the focal point for this mid-century survey of the Appalachian foothills in Lawrence County. In the early 1950s, the landscape was a patchwork of ridge-top farms and narrow hollows, connected by a network of one-room schoolhouses like Rockhouse Sch and Chestnut Grove Sch. The community of Houckville and the high point at Olevinger Knob, topped with its Lookout Tower, define the northern reaches. Along the meandering Blaine Creek, small church congregations at Oak Hill Ch and Elm Grove Ch reflect the social fabric of rural eastern Kentucky. Evidence of regional industry is clear in the Oil and Gas Field near Hannah, where several Gas Wells are tucked into the drainages of Cains Creek.