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1960 Map of Kingwood

Name: 1960 Topographic Map of Kingwood
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1966
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1966

About this map

The Cheat River carves a deep path through the center of this terrain, anchoring a landscape defined by the heavy extraction industries of the mid-twentieth century. Near the county seat of Kingwood, the map reveals a dense network of Strip Mines and quarries that dominate the ridges of the Briery Mountains. This industrial activity is tightly integrated with the transportation infrastructure of the Baltimore and Ohio and W Va Northern railroads, which snake along the riverbanks and through narrow gaps to service settlements like Albright and Borgman.

Local history is preserved in the location of several country houses of worship, including St Josephs Ch and Beatty Ch, alongside the established Kingwood Cemetery. The presence of the Camp Dawson National Guard at Dunkard Bottom highlights the strategic use of the river flats, while small hamlets like Irona, Preston, and St Joe illustrate the dispersed residential patterns of a region tied to both coal and the rail. Notable landmarks such as the High Sch and Hospital in Kingwood provide a clear look at the civic heart of Preston County at the start of the 1960s.