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1946 Map of Hightower Bald

Name: 1946 Topographic Map of Hightower Bald
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1968
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1968

About this map

Tate City sits at the heart of this mountain landscape, positioned along the upper Tallulah River near the intersection of several county lines. This mid-century survey illustrates the rural infrastructure of the North Georgia and North Carolina borderlands, where the Blue Ridge Tenn Valley Divide separates the watersheds. Local life is anchored by institutions like the Tate City School and Pleasant Hill School, while the spiritual landscape is marked by King Chapel and Plumorchard Church.

The Appalachian Trail snakes across the high ridges, passing through Bly Gap and over Sharp Top as it follows the boundary between the Nantahala National Forest and the Chattahoochee National Forest. In the southern reaches, the map records the northern tip of Lake Burton fed by Dickerson Creek. The terrain is defined by a dense network of gaps and knobs, including Hightower Bald and Wheeler Knob, reflecting the complex topography of the Southern Blue Ridge before significant modern development altered these remote drainages.