1958 Map of Charleston

About this map

The Kanawha River serves as the industrial and logistical spine of this region during the late 1950s, anchoring the capital at Charleston and its surrounding manufacturing hubs like South Charleston, St Albans, and Nitro. This era represents the height of the river-and-rail economy, where the Chesapeake and Ohio and Baltimore and Ohio railroads parallel the water systems to move timber and coal from the interior. To the east, the terrain rises sharply into the Allegheny Mountains and the dense timberlands of the Monongahela National Forest. Within these highlands, smaller settlements like Richwood and Webster Springs are interconnected by winding routes such as Us 119 and W Va 16. The map captures a landscape defined by its knobs and ridges, including Rich Mountain and Bird Knob, illustrating the difficult geography that shaped West Virginia's early development and transit corridors.