1935 Map of Clarksdale

About this map

Clarksdale serves as the focal point of this mid-1930s landscape, where the Sunflower River and the Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad converge to drive the regional economy. The map reveals a dense network of plantation life and small agrarian communities, many organized around cotton ginning and rail access. Notable for genealogists are the numerous rural institutions, including the Rosenwald Sch and Hilliard Sch, alongside an exceptional concentration of country churches like Beautiful Zion Ch, Mt Zion Ch, and St Pauls Ch. The terrain is defined by the intricate hydrology of the Delta, with Roundaway Bayou, Annis Bayou, and Turkey Bayou winding through the alluvial plain. Smaller stops such as Sherard, Lyon, and the community of Africa illustrate the early 20th-century settlement patterns before modern agricultural mechanization fully reshaped the region.