1938 Map of Brumley

About this map

The North Fork Holston River carves a deep valley through the ridge-and-valley landscape of the Jefferson National Forest in this pre-war survey. The terrain is dominated by the massive presence of Brumley Mountain and the prominent Clinch Mountain range, which dictate the paths of early travel through Little Moccasin Gap and Brumley Gap. These natural corridors shaped the settlement patterns of the late 1930s, concentrating community life around small crossroads like Houston and Roebuck. Local genealogy is anchored in rural institutions, from the Moccasin Gap School and Hayes School to several country churches including Green Valley Ch and Chestnut Grove Ch. The map detail captures a moment when the rugged topography of Poor Valley and Rich Valley remained largely defined by traditional mountain agriculture and timberland before later 20th-century developments.