1939 Map of Harwood

About this map

The Missouri Kansas Texas railroad serves as the primary corridor for commerce and travel across this Vernon County landscape, connecting the established town of Walker with the smaller settlement of Harwood. Surveyed in the late 1930s, the map reveals a rural economy organized around localized school districts and country churches, such as Mt Vernon Ch in the southeast. A high density of rural schools, including Coal Creek Sch, Robinson Sch, and Lowe Sch, suggests a distributed population of family farms typical of the era. The terrain is defined by low ridges and drainages like Ladies Branch and Clear Creek, with prominent local landmarks such as Blue Mound and Pepper Hill rising above the surrounding agricultural fields. For genealogists, the map is a critical resource for locating smaller family burial grounds, specifically Harwood Cem and Bethany Cem.