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1958 Map of Center

Name: 1958 Topographic Map of Center
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1959
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1959

About this map

The town of Center serves as the focal point of this late-1950s survey of East Texas, where the intersection of highways and local roads radiates through the surrounding timberlands and creek bottoms. The landscape is defined by the Sabine National Forest to the east and the winding Sabine River, which marks the state boundary between Shelby County and De Soto Parish. This era captures a region deeply connected by rail, with the Texas and New Orleans RR passing through Tenaha and Joaquin, while the Gulf Colorado and Santa Fe RR cuts a diagonal path toward the county seat.

Local life is recorded through numerous rural landmarks, including the Old Home Ch, Lone Cedar Ch, and St. John Ch. Genealogists will find a wealth of burial sites such as Oaklawn Cem and Cedar Yard Cem. The map illustrates the transition from the upland settlements like Paxton and Antioch to the low-lying reaches of Flat Fork Creek and Tenaha Creek, documenting the established rural community structure before modern expansion.