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1968 Map of Franktown

Name: 1968 Topographic Map of Franktown
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1987
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1987

About this map

The fingers of the Chesapeake Bay define the agricultural and maritime character of this Eastern Shore landscape in the late 1960s. Series of distinctive peninsulas, including Occohannock Neck, Elliotts Neck, and Church Neck, are separated by deep tidal inlets like Nassawadox Creek and Hungars Creek. Inland, the Penn Central railroad serves as the spine for a string of small communities and rail stops such as Machipongo, Birdsnest, and Martins Siding.

Evidence of established community life is found at the Weirwood Fairgrounds and several rural houses of worship, including Hungars Ch and Bethel Ch. The transition from land to water is marked by working landmarks like Taylor Wharf and the summer colonies at Silver Beach and Downings Beach. This survey records a period when the economy was still deeply tied to both the rails and the bay's productive waters.