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1953 Map of Fairfield NW

Name: 1953 Topographic Map of Fairfield NW
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1956
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1956

About this map

Gum Neck and the surrounding coastal plains of Tyrrell and Hyde Counties appear here as a land of wetlands and water-dependent commerce in the early 1950s. The serpentine path of the Alligator River serves as the primary geographic divider, fed by the Northwest Fork and Southwest Fork. Settlement patterns are distinctly concentrated along the edges of higher ground like Long Ridge, where small communities such as Kilkenny and Piney Grove developed.

Local infrastructure is defined by its relation to the swampy terrain, with Kilkenny Landing and Cherry Ridge Landing providing vital access to the river. The southern edge of the map features the Pungo Intracoastal Waterway, a major engineering feat cutting through the Fairfield area. For family historians, the presence of Union Chapel, Cedar Grove Ch, and Piney Grove Ch highlights the centers of social and spiritual life for these isolated North Carolina settlements.