1959 Map of Chestnut Ridge

About this map

Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge dominates the central portion of this Jackson County landscape, preserving a vast network of wetlands and wooded bottoms along the Fork Muscatatuck River. The map documents a period of significant transportation infrastructure, showing the intersection of major routes near Seymour alongside the historic Old Railroad Grade and active lines of the Baltimore and Ohio and Conrail. Local history is deeply etched into the rural corners, from the small community at New Farmington to the riverside crossing at Staples Ford. Genealogists will find a high density of family-named burial grounds, including the Hunt, Barkman, and Gardner cemeteries, which are scattered throughout the agricultural tracts and timbered hills. Cultural landmarks like the Drive-in Theater and the Conologue Ch further illustrate the mid-century social fabric of this Indiana river valley.