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1926 Map of Bluefield

Name: 1926 Topographic Map of Bluefield
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1944
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1944

About this map

Princeton serves as the central hub of this Appalachian landscape, where the Virginian Railway and the Norfolk and Western Railway converge to move the resources of the coalfields. The map captures a moment when the regional economy was deeply tied to these rail corridors and the Bluestone River watershed. Small settlements like Matoaka, Spanishburg, and Lashmeet are dispersed through the valleys, each supported by a dense network of country schools such as Sand Gap School and Hurricane School.

To the south, Bluefield and South Bluefield anchor the Virginia-West Virginia border along the steep slopes of East River Mountain. This 1920s-era geography reflects a settled mountain society, evidenced by institutions like Pisgah Church and the therapeutic destination at Mercer Healing Springs. The terrain is defined by long, parallel ridges including Stony Ridge and Blackoak Mountain, which dictated the winding paths of early roads and branch rail lines.