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1904 Map of Lancaster

Name: 1904 Topographic Map of Lancaster
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1926
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1926

About this map

The Susquehanna River defines the southwestern edge of this landscape, where the Lancaster and Millersville Turnpike and multiple rail lines converge on the regional hub. At the turn of the century, the area was a dense network of turnpikes and railroads, including the Cornwall and Lebanon RR and the Reading and Columbia RR, reflecting the intensive agricultural and industrial connectivity of the Pennsylvania Dutch Country. Small rural hamlets like Mastersville, Elstonville, and Sporting Hill are connected by a web of named roads such as the Marietta Turnpike and the Manheim and Lititz Turnpike.

Water-driven industry remains visible through sites like Geyers Mill on Chickies Creek, while the burgeoning infrastructure is evidenced by the Water Works and the lines of the Conestoga Traction Co. In the north, the terrain rises toward South Mountain and Governor Dick, marking the transition from the fertile limestone plains to the more forested heights near Mount Hope. This 1902 survey, reprinted in the 1920s, documents a transition era when traditional turnpikes still served as primary arteries alongside a peak rail network.