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1956 Map of Lansdowne

Name: 1956 Topographic Map of Lansdowne
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1964
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1964

About this map

Darby Creek and Cobbs Creek serve as the primary hydrological arteries for this densely settled landscape on the edge of Philadelphia County. By the mid-1950s, the western suburban expansion of Delaware County is well-established, showing a complex web of borough and township boundaries including Upper Darby and Springfield. The map reveals a highly developed infrastructure of schools and religious institutions, from St Andrews Sch in Drexel Hill to the sprawling grounds of Swarthmore College in the southwest.

Transit corridors like the Baltimore Pike and the West Chester Pike facilitate the region's growth, while the Pennsylvania and Reading railroads link established residential centers such as Lansdowne and Clifton Heights. Significant acreage is dedicated to large cemetery tracts, including Arlington Cemetery and Holy Cross Cemetery, which provide substantial green breaks within the suburban grid. The map also records localized features like Boro Hall in multiple municipalities, documenting the civic layout of these classic Pennsylvania boroughs.