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1948 Map of Hope

Name: 1948 Topographic Map of Hope
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1948
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1948

About this map

Hope serves as the primary hub of this landscape, situated at the intersection of a sprawling network of creeks and drainage ditches that supported the agricultural productivity of Bartholomew Co following the Second World War. The area is defined by its rural heritage, anchored by settlements like Flat Rock and Clifford, and marked by numerous legacy burial grounds such as Moravian Cem and Siddall Cem. The Pennsylvania and New York Central railroads cut across the terrain, providing essential transport links for the small farming communities of Old St Louis and St Louis Crossing.

Evidence of early social life is found at Roberts Chapel and Willow Park, while the water system is remarkably complex, featuring Flatrock Creek, Haw Creek, and smaller waterways like Chicken Creek and Horse Creek. This survey captures the region just as the postwar era solidified these small towns' roles as vital local centers before the significant shifts in mid-century transportation and industrial farming.