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1956 Map of Ephrata

Name: 1956 Topographic Map of Ephrata
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1978
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1978

About this map

Ephrata serves as the central hub of this 1950s landscape, which was later updated in the 1970s to reflect postwar suburban expansion and road developments like the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The map reveals a dense network of small communities and rural intersections, including Schoeneck, Indiantown, and Reamstown, connected by early routes such as the Oregon Pike. The terrain is defined by the valley of Cocalico Creek and the rising ground of Ephrata Mountain to the east.

Religious and educational life in northern Lancaster County is heavily documented through numerous rural landmarks. Researchers can locate several historic congregations, including Zion Ch, Mohlers Ch, and Metzler Ch, alongside local schoolhouses like Durlach Sch and Sunnyside Sch. The alignment of Conrail tracks through Akron and Ephrata illustrates the industrial and transit corridor that shaped the growth of these boroughs before modern highways redirected local commerce.