1918 Map of La Harpe

About this map

The agricultural landscape of Western Illinois at the close of the First World War is defined by a dense network of one-room schoolhouses and small prairie settlements. Towns like La Harpe and Blandinsville serve as regional hubs, their positions solidified by the Toledo Peoria and Western RR. The map records an extraordinary density of rural educational buildings, including the Maple Grove School, Jackson Corner School, and South Prairie School, which anchored the many townships before the era of school consolidation.