1914 Map of Kinston

About this map

Kinston serves as the focal point of this 1914 survey, situated along a sharp bend of the Neuse River where the Norfolk Southern RR and Atlantic Coast Line RR converge. The surrounding coastal plain of Lenoir and Greene counties is defined by an intricate network of wetlands and creeks, including the expansive Bull Head Swamp and the winding Contentnea Creek. The landscape is dotted with early 20th-century rural infrastructure, from the State School for Feeble Minded south of the city to numerous small community hubs like Glenfield Crossroads and Mewborns Crossroads. For the local historian, the map preserves the exact locations of vanished schoolhouses such as Tyndall School and Savannah School, alongside country congregations at Jerusalem Church and Union Chapel, offering a look at the region's social geography before the modern era of highway expansion and school consolidation.