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1943 Map of Charleston

Name: 1943 Topographic Map of Charleston
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1946
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1946

About this map

The Hiwassee River serves as the focal point for this mid-century landscape, dividing the settlements of Charleston in Bradley County and Calhoun in McMinn County. The 1942 field examination captures the area shortly after the filling of the Chickamauga Reservoir, showing how the backwaters of the Tennessee Valley Authority project transformed former creek beds like Rogers Creek and Candies Creek into significant embayments. This transition from riverine to reservoir landscape is evident along Ledford Island and the inundated mouths of numerous branches.

Local life is recorded through a network of rural institutions, including Mt Harmony Sch and several churches like Shelton Memorial Chapel and Henegar Ch. The Southern railroad and the Lee Highway provide the primary transportation corridor through Walker Valley, paralleling the water's edge. Genealogists will find numerous family-named burial grounds such as Godsey Cem, Spring Creek Cem, and Maddux Cem scattered across the ridges and valleys.