1914 Map of Flattop

About this map

Guyandot Mountain and the high ridges of southern West Virginia define the landscape of this 1911 survey, a time when the region's coal and timber potential was being realized through an expanding rail network. The Virginian Ry and Virginia and Ohio RR snake through the narrow valleys, connecting mining settlements like Winding Gulf and Affinity to larger markets. This map provides an exceptional record of the rural social infrastructure of the era, documenting dozens of neighborhood schools such as the uniquely named Long Wanted School, Lilly School, and Hatcher School. These institutions, alongside the Spangler Factory near Craborchard, illustrate a transition from purely subsistence farming toward a diversified industrial economy. The topography is meticulously detailed, tracing the headwaters of the Guyan River and the complex drainage of Piney Creek across the Raleigh Co Mercer Co border.