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1901 Map of Hancock

Name: 1901 Topographic Map of Hancock
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1945
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1945

About this map

The Potomac River corridor serves as a busy industrial and transportation artery in this late nineteenth-century survey, where the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal parallels several major rail lines. Near the northern bend at Hancock, the landscape is defined by steep ridges like Tonoloway Ridge and Timber Ridge, which forced engineering solutions for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and the Western Maryland Railroad. A notable industrial presence is marked by the Glass Sand Factory along the river, while the historic Fort Frederick stands watch near Big Pool.

Away from the river, the map reveals a network of upland settlements and family-named landmarks. Small communities such as Pecktonville, Ernstville, and Hedgesville are connected by roads through gaps in Sleepy Creek Mountain and Third Hill Mountain. Genealogists will find value in specifically identified sites like Yeakle Mill, Fairview Church, and multiple crossroads such as Stotlers Crossroads, illustrating the distribution of early Maryland and West Virginia families across this tri-state border region.