1951 Map of Elva

About this map

The East Fork Clarks River winds through this rural landscape in Marshall County, creating a complex series of wetlands and oxbows such as Steam Mill Bend, Devils Elbow, and the expansive Milliken Swamp. The settlement of Elva sits at a geographic crossroads where the Nashville Chattanooga and St. Louis Ry and a dismantled railroad converge near the riverbanks. This 1951 survey reveals a deeply established community network of small rural churches and family-named cemeteries, including Oakland Ch, Mt Moriah Church, and the Story Cem. To the north, the Jefferson Davis Highway serves as a primary transit corridor through Sharpe, passing landmarks like a drive-in theater and the Sharpe Sch. The map also details the transition from high ground at Hogskin Ridge to the low river bottoms where Benge Pond and Coon Pond persist in the floodplain.