1943 Map of Hopewell

About this map

The confluence of the James River and Appomattox River anchors this 1940 survey, which captures the industrial and military importance of the region during the early years of the Second World War. Hopewell appears as a dense urban core, sprawling toward Highland Park and the historic deep-water port at City Point. The landscape reflects a mix of deep colonial heritage and modern infrastructure, shown through the proximity of the ancient Bermuda Hundred settlement to the expansive Federal Reformatory and the military grounds of Camp Lee. Transportation networks are heavily defined by the Seaboard and Norfolk and Western railroads, which facilitated movement between the riverfronts and the interior. Rural life persists on the fringes at Screamersville and Meadowville, while features like the Walthall Mill on Ashton Creek and several country schools including Ochre Sch point to the area's agricultural past.