1954 Map of Buckhorn

About this map

The rail-and-swamp landscape of southern Virginia's Nansemond County is defined here by a dense concentration of railroad lines and rural congregations. Five distinct rail corridors, including the Virginian, Seaboard Air Line, and Atlantic and Danville, intersect the region, creating historic junctions like Buckhorn (Purvis Sta) and Lummis. These iron arteries navigate a complex drainage system of named wetlands, such as Quaker Swamp and Jones Swamp, which weave through the agricultural clearings. Local social life is anchored by numerous country churches and meeting houses, notably the Somerton Friends Meeting House and the Little Tabernacle. The presence of the Savage Crossing Sch and the Drive-in Theater near Kenyon illustrates the mid-century community structure, where small-scale settlements like Nurneysville and Bakers Crossing served as focal points for rural families before modern consolidation.