2016 Map of Blairs Mills

About this map

Tuscarora Mountain and Shade Mountain define the parallel ridgelines of this section of the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, framing a series of narrow agricultural and residential corridors. Central to the landscape is the winding course of Tuscarora Creek, which passes through the Concord Narrows and anchors several small communities, including Blairs Mills, Waterloo, and Peru Mills. The map reveals a high density of family and community burial sites, from the McWilliams Cem in the northeast to the remote McCaskey Graves near Big Round Top. Settlement patterns are strictly dictated by the terrain, with roads like Hog Hollow Rd and Shearer Hollow Rd tracing the gaps and valleys between steep ridges. This 2016 survey documents the enduring rural character of the borderlands between Juniata, Perry, Huntingdon, and Franklin counties, where traditional place names like Spears Grove and Cross Keys persist.