1949 Map of Lancaster

About this map

The Great Wicomico River and the Corrotoman River frame this mid-century portrait of Virginia’s Northern Neck, where the boundary between Northumberland and Lancaster counties winds through a landscape of tidal creeks and crossroads settlements. Significant educational and religious landmarks such as the Booker T Washington Sch, New Lancaster Sch, and Wicomico Church appear alongside community centers like Browns Store and Regina. The importance of the regional waterfront is evidenced by Sampsons Wharf and several landings including Deep Landing and Betz Landing. Inland, the terrain is dotted with small family-named locales like Beanes Corners and McNeals Corner, while the Miskimon Lookout Tower stands as a sentinel over the wooded headwaters of the Western Branch. This 1940s survey reveals a traditional rural structure of mills, such as Davis Mill, and numerous country churches including Providence Ch and Willie Chapel, serving a population closely tied to both the land and the Chesapeake’s tributaries.