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1898 Map of Chester

Name: 1898 Topographic Map of Chester
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1906
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1906

About this map

Marcus Hook and the city of Chester anchor a landscape transitioning from the industrializing Delaware River waterfront to the established townships of southeastern Pennsylvania. In the late 1890s, the region is defined by a dense network of watercourses like Ridley Creek and Crum Creek powering local industry, alongside a burgeoning rail system including the Baltimore & Ohio RR and the Phila. & West Chester Electric RR.

The map reveals a mix of suburban growth and institutional presence, featuring the Williamson School and the historic Lazaretto quarantine station on the riverbank. Across the Delaware River, the New Jersey shoreline in Greenwich and Oldmans remains largely agricultural, characterized by marshy islands such as Little Tinicum Id. and Monds Id.. This survey captures the era when trolley lines and commuter rails were beginning to stitch together villages like Newtown Square, Broomall, and Lansdowne with the growing Philadelphia metropolis.