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1911 Map of Drakesboro

Name: 1911 Topographic Map of Drakesboro
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1911
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1911

About this map

Greenville serves as a primary hub in this 1911 survey of western Kentucky, where the landscape transitions between the fertile bottomlands of the Green River and the undulating terrain of the Pennyroyal Plateau. The map reveals an agrarian society deeply rooted in local institutions, evidenced by the high density of rural schools such as Sheldon School, Middleton School, and Bivins School. Transportation is defined by the Central City and Madisonville Branch railroad, which supported the early development of coal-related settlements like Drakesboro and Powderly.

Smaller, colorful locales like Lickskillet and Peanut appear alongside more established post offices like Gufty PO. The survey illustrates the importance of the river network, specifically the Mud River and Pond River, which historically dictated settlement patterns and county boundaries before modern highways reoriented the region's commerce. This document captures the county seats and crossroads communities at a moment when steam rail and river transport were the primary links to the wider world.