1951 Map of Landsaw

About this map

Bethany Orphanage and its associated Bethany Ch stand as a central social landmark in the early 1950s within this deeply dissected landscape. The terrain is characterized by a dense network of winding hollows and branches, where family names are etched into the geography via sites like the Hollon Cem, Puckett Cem, and Murphy Cem. Small rural schools served isolated communities throughout the hills, including the Buchanan Sch and Malaga Sch. The local economy of the time is visible in the emergence of extractive industries, noted by a Strip Mine in the northeast and scattered Gas Wells near the Wolfe and Breathitt County line. Small settlements such as Vancleve and Sewell cling to the banks of the North Fork Kentucky River, which forms the southern boundary of this Appalachian survey.