Loading map...

1907 Map of Hampton

Name: 1907 Topographic Map of Hampton
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1931
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1931

About this map

The Virginia Peninsula’s complex maritime geography is meticulously recorded in this early 20th-century survey, just as aviation and electrical transit began to reshape the region. Fort Monroe and its neighboring National Soldiers Home anchor the southern tip of the peninsula at Old Point Comfort, while the emerging military presence of Langley Field sits positioned between the branches of the Back River. This coastal landscape is a network of wharves and small water-oriented settlements like Messick and Odd, reflecting an era when transportation relied heavily on the intricate inlets of the Poquoson River and York River.

Genealogists and local historians can trace the historical infrastructure of the region through the Hampton and Old Point Electric RR and the Hampton Normal School. The map also preserves the site of the Big Bethel Battlefield and several rural landmarks such as Big Bethel Church and the Poor Farm. From the Goodwin Islands in the north to the industrial activity of Hampton and Phoebus, the sheet documents the transition from a post-Civil War agrarian society to a vital military and educational hub.