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1956 Map of Freedom

Name: 1956 Topographic Map of Freedom
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1968
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1968

About this map

The White River carves a deep, winding path through this mid-century portrait of the Owen and Greene County borderlands. The town of Freedom sits near a prominent bend, where the Pennsylvania railroad tracks parallel the water’s edge. This 1956 landscape is defined by its numerous small burial grounds and rural hubs like Pottersville, Adel, and New Hope, reflecting a decentralized settlement pattern common to this part of Indiana before the era of major highway consolidation.

Elevated terrain features such as Stokey Ridge and Jack Ridge rise above the drainage basins of Raccoon Creek and Richland Creek. For genealogists, the map is remarkably dense with family-named landmarks and cemeteries, including the Oliphant Cem, Burkett Cem, and Neeley Cem. The presence of Grain Storage Bins near the northern rail line underscores the local agricultural economy, while the transition into Beech Creek township in the south reveals the tiny outpost of Newark tucked among the hills.