1956 Map of Freedom

About this map

The White River carves a winding path through the borderlands of Owen and Greene counties, defining a landscape of sharp ridges and rural outposts. Freedom serves as the primary riverside settlement, while the Conrail line and Harrison Highway track the movement of goods and people across the northern reaches of the quadrangle. The map is particularly notable for its high density of family and community burial grounds, such as Light Cem, White Cem, and Defore Cem, which signal a long-established agricultural population across Franklin and Clay townships. These small landmarks, alongside crossroads like Pottersville and Newark, provide a detailed record of the mid-century social geography before modern infrastructure bypassed these earlier hubs. To the south, the topography shifts into the prominent elevations of Stokey Ridge and Beech Creek, where the drainage of Raccoon Creek and Richland Creek creates a complex network of valleys.