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2016 Map of Exum

Name: 2016 Topographic Map of Exum
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2016
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2016

About this map

Green Swamp dominates this landscape in coastal Brunswick County, where a intricate network of wetlands and bays defines the local geography. Small settlements like Exum and Makatoka sit along the periphery of these vast marshlands, connected by a lattice of rural roads such as Makatoka Rd NW and Big Neck Rd NW. The terrain is characterized by a series of "bays" — unique elliptical depressions common to the Carolina coastal plain — including Clayton Bay, Wille Bay, and Bee Island Bay.

For family historians, the presence of the Griffin Cem and Milligan Cem near Mill Branch provides specific points of interest for tracing early local residents. The map illustrates a landscape where human habitation, such as at Big Neck, is closely integrated with the natural drainages of the Wet Ash Swamp and Alligator Swamp. This 2016 survey captures the area just northwest of Shallotte before modern expansion further altered these traditional wetlands.