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1936 Map of Coal Creek

Name: 1936 Topographic Map of Coal Creek
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1936
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1936

About this map

The mining and mountain settlements of Anderson County are captured in this 1936 survey, which documents the landscape just as the Tennessee Valley Authority began shaping the region. The map reveals the industrial heart of the area, centered on the Coal Creek valley and the surrounding ridges of Walden Ridge and Vowell Mountain. This era is marked by the presence of numerous small mining communities like Briceville, Fraterville, and Minersville, connected by a network of tramways and branches of the Southern Railway.

Local history and genealogy are well-represented by distinctive community landmarks such as the Miners Circle Cem and the Do Better Ch. To the northeast, the map records the rising waters of the Norris Res, showing the shoreline at the 1,020-foot elevation mark. From the quiet Seeber Flats to the busy railroad junctions at The Wye, this map preserves the specific infrastructure and social geography of the Tennessee coalfields during a period of transition.