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1938 Map of Damascus

Name: 1938 Topographic Map of Damascus
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1938
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1938

About this map

Damascus serves as a central hub in this late-1930s survey, where the Norfolk and Western Railway meets the Laurel Creek and South Fork Holston River valleys. The map illustrates a landscape of established rural infrastructure, featuring several water-powered industrial sites like De Busk Mill, Mock Mill, and Vails Mill. To the north, the Middle Fork Holston River snakes through the terrain near the Jeb Stuart Highway, passing historic community centers such as Ebbing Spring Ch and the Liberty Hall Sch.

Transitioning from the agricultural valleys into the Jefferson National Forest, the topography rises sharply toward Feathercamp Ridge and the Iron Mountains. A notable early section of the Appalachian Trail is recorded here, traversing the high ground south of town. The presence of remote post offices like Drowning Ford Vestal (P O) and scattered cemeteries such as Oak Hill Cem provides essential spatial data for those researching local family history and the pre-war settlement patterns of Washington County.