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1946 Map of Ft Payne

Name: 1946 Topographic Map of Ft Payne
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1960
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1960

About this map

Fort Payne serves as the industrial and social anchor of this mid-century landscape, situated in the fertile Wills Valley between the dramatic elevations of Sand Mountain and Lookout Mountain. The 1946 field examination by the Tennessee Valley Authority reveals a complex network of rural life, from the Southern Railroad corridor to the numerous family-named landmarks like Fisher Crossroads and Lankford Cem.

Natural landmarks like Manitou Cave and the protected acres of De Soto State Park contrast with the organized grid of the city and its surrounding satellites like Minvale and Douglas. The map is particularly rich for genealogical research, documenting numerous country churches such as Liberty Hill Ch and Union Hill Ch, as well as the Fisher Sch, illustrating the dispersed settlement patterns common in De Kalb County before widespread urbanization.