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1943 Map of Harrisburg

Name: 1943 Topographic Map of Harrisburg
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1956
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1956

About this map

The Susquehanna River carves a dramatic path through the ridge-and-valley landscape of central Pennsylvania, anchored by the state capital of Harrisburg. This survey, based on 1942 aerial photography, documents the region's dense rail network, with the Pennsylvania and Reading railroads following the river banks and gaps through Blue Mountain and Peters Mountain. The topography dictates the settlement patterns, as towns like Dauphin and Marysville occupy the narrow corridors between the ridges and the water.

Local history and genealogy details are abundant, from the rural Fetterhoff Ch and Wenriches Ch to industrial landmarks like Ellendale Forge Sta and Good Hope Mills. The Appalachian Trail is shown traversing the heights of Stony Mountain, while the river is dotted with large islands such as Haldeman Island and McCormick I. These details capture the transition from the urbanized riverfront to the isolated mountain valleys of Middle Paxton and Halifax during the early 1940s.