1926 Map of Holbrook

About this map

The Staunton and Parkersburg Pike cuts through the southern portion of this landscape, serving as a primary corridor for travel through the hills of West Virginia in the mid-1920s. This survey, revised by E.I. Ireland, captures a rural society deeply connected by a dense network of one-room schoolhouses and country churches. The terrain is defined by the three branches of the Hughes River, with the Middle Fork and South Fork carving deep valleys that dictated the placement of small communities like Auburn and Coxs Mills. This map reveals the heavy distribution of local education, featuring dozens of named facilities such as the Lower Whiteoak School and Upper Otterslide School. For genealogists, the map provides precise locations for landmark ridges like Beason Ridge and remote settlements including Newberne and Burnt House, illustrating the 19th-century settlement patterns that persisted into the early 20th century.