Loading map...

1959 Map of Grayson

Name: 1959 Topographic Map of Grayson
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1990
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1990

About this map

The high mountain borderlands of Virginia, Tennessee, and North Carolina meet on this survey, highlighting the remote topography of the Jefferson National Forest and Cherokee National Forest. Settlement is concentrated along the narrow valleys and gaps, with Taylors Valley and Green Cove serving as primary locales connected by the Norfolk and Western line. This railroad route snakes through the northern territory, skirting the base of Iron Mountain and Snaggy Mountain.

The map reveals an era of localized mountain industry and community, from strip mines near Huckleberry Ridge to family-named landmarks like Greer Cem and Dunn Cem. Notable elevations like Whitetop Mountain and Stone Mountain dominate the central terrain, while the settlement at Grayson and churches such as Farmers Memorial Ch anchor the rural social landscape. Field and fence lines, identified through aerial photography, trace the patterns of mid-century highland agriculture.