1955 Map of Hickman

About this map

The Delaware Maryland border defines the western edge of this 1950s agricultural landscape, where intricate drainage networks like Marshy Hope Creek and Short and Hall Ditch demonstrate a history of managed wetlands. Local life in Sussex and Caroline and Kent counties centers on small crossroads settlements and community landmarks, such as Bethel Ch and Epworth Ch. A prominent Lookout Tower stands near Adams Crossroads, overlooking a patchwork of timber and field. In the south, Smithville Lake and the Bloomery Bridge mark a shift toward the more aqueous terrain of the Nanticoke watershed. The mapping of named ditches like Stafford Ditch and Polk Branch reveals the extensive human effort required to transform these coastal plain lowlands into productive farmland.