1906 Map of Kenna

About this map

Sissonville sits along the winding course of the Pocatalico River in this early twentieth-century survey of the West Virginia backcountry. The landscape is defined by a dense network of ridges and hollows, including Garnes Knob and Red Knob, which dictated the early settlement patterns of Jackson, Kanawha, and Roane counties. Rural life is anchored by small communities such as Kenna, Goldtown, and Staats Mills, each connected by primitive roads following the narrow valleys of Mill Creek and Tug Fork. The map provides a detailed view of local infrastructure before major modern development, noting the Emma Belle School and White Chapel as central landmarks for the surrounding homesteads. This topographic study captures the era when commerce and community were still deeply tied to the drainage systems of the Allen Fork and Haines Fork.