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1948 Map of Freeland

Name: 1948 Topographic Map of Freeland
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1977
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1977

About this map

The borough of Freeland and its surrounding coal-patch towns dominate this southern Luzerne County landscape, where the anthracite industry's footprint is deeply etched into the earth. By the mid-20th century, the expansion of Strip Mine operations and massive Mine Dump features had reshaped the terrain between Buck Mountain and Green Mountain. The map records a dense network of local landmarks, from the Good Shepherd Ch near Drums to the curiously named Honey Hole along Nescopeck Creek.

Transportation corridors including the Conrail lines and modern interchanges like Interchange 42 cut through the high ridges of Nescopeck Mountain. North of the industrial zone, the terrain shifts toward smaller rural clusters like Rippletown and Blytheburn. This survey captures a transitional era for the region, documenting the close proximity of educational institutions like High Sch and Wright Sch to the active and evolving extraction sites that defined the local economy.