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1942 Map of Decatur

Name: 1942 Topographic Map of Decatur
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1972
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1972

About this map

Decatur serves as the focal point of this Tennessee River valley landscape, captured as the regional environment was being transformed by major infrastructure projects. The map documents the immense scale of the Watts Bar Dam and the adjacent Watts Bar Steam Plant along the Tennessee River. These developments created Watts Bar Lake and Chickamauga Lake, altering the river's original course and submerging land near Hunter Island.

Genealogists will find a high density of family-named landmarks and rural institutions, including Texas Grove Ch, Asbury Chapel, and Old Goodfield Cem. Smaller settlements like Breedenton and Kings Mill are shown alongside utilitarian features of a river economy, such as the Pinhook Ferry and the Yellow Creek Fish Hatchery. The survey also preserves the locations of local schools like Carp Sch and Bogles Sch, providing a detailed view of Meigs County before later 20th-century modernization.