1935 Map of Butler

About this map

Butler serves as a primary hub along the Watauga River in this 1935 survey, a period just before the landscape was fundamentally altered by Tennessee Valley Authority projects. The map documents a deeply established mountain community structured around river forks and creek bottoms, featuring significant educational and spiritual landmarks like the Watauga Academy and Saint Valley Sch. Industrial and logistical details are prominent, including the Lupperts Flume Bridge and several gauging stations that hint at the era's focus on water management and timber transport. Numerous family-named settlements like Cownstown and Buntontown are connected by a network of trails and early state roads. The terrain is defined by prominent ridges such as Sink Mountain and Beech Mountain, while smaller hollows like Sugar Hollow and Sheets Hollow provide a glimpse into the localized geography where small-scale farming and residence occurred before widespread topographical changes.