1921 Map of Holley

About this map

Holley and the small coastal outposts of Harper and Hiawatha anchor this reconnaissance of the Florida panhandle's shoreline in the early 1920s. The landscape is defined by the shallow waters of East Bay and the meandering course of the East Bay River, which drains through a complex system of wetlands and coastal prairies. Along the southern edge, the narrow barrier of Santa Rosa Island separates the quiet Santa Rosa Sound from the open Gulf of Mexico. This survey, compiled by the Corps of Engineers, U. S. Army under Col. W. M. Black, provides a detailed record of coastal soundings and the sparsely settled interior. Researchers can trace early infrastructure through family-named points like Harris and Manatee Pt, or follow the drainage patterns of Prairie Creek and Turtle Creek as they existed before modern shoreline development transformed the region.