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1939 Map of Charlottesville

Name: 1939 Topographic Map of Charlottesville
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1939
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1939

About this map

Charlottesville and the surrounding Piedmont landscape are captured here in the late 1930s, anchored by the iconic estate at Monticello and the industrial activity of the Chesapeake and Ohio and Southern Railway lines. The map reveals a deeply established social geography, showing prominent educational and medical institutions such as the Albemarle Training Sch, the Rosenwald Sch, and the Blue Ridge Sanatorium. Rural life is centered on small junctions and settlements like Barboursville, Ruckersville, and Stony Point, many of which developed along early corridors like the Spotswood Trail.

The terrain is dominated by the Southwest Mountains, a ridge of distinctive peaks including Peters Mtn and Walnut Mtn. This range separates the drainage of the Rivanna River from the smaller creeks to the east. Along these waters and hills, the map documents numerous family-named landmarks and rural congregations, from the Chapman Grove Ch to the Cismont Sch, providing a detailed view of Albemarle County's community structure before mid-century suburbanization.