1952 Map of Fork Mountain

About this map

Smoky Mountain and the high ridges of the Cumberland Plateau dominate this 1952 topographic study, where the coal-driven economy of East Tennessee is recorded in detail. Small company towns and residential clusters such as Moores Camp (Devonia PO), Mahan Village, and Hembree are connected by the winding path of Tennessee 116 and numerous coal extraction sites. The map documents an industrial landscape in transition, showing a dismantled railroad and dismantled incline near Buffalo, alongside active resource management in the Morgan State Forest. For genealogists, the presence of family-named landmarks like the Reeves-Daugherty Cemetery and Patterson Cemetery, as well as the Beech Grove Church, provide specific locations for mid-century community life. The rugged drainages of Smoky Creek and the Emory River define the settlement patterns, forcing homes and industry into the narrow valley floors.