Loading map...

1938 Map of Laurel Bloomery

Name: 1938 Topographic Map of Laurel Bloomery
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1956
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1956

About this map

Laurel Bloomery and the neighboring settlements of Gentry and Eureka define the human footprint in this corner of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia during the late 1930s. The landscape is dominated by the ridges of Holston Mountain and the Iron Mountains, where the Appalachian Trail winds through the Jefferson National Forest. This era shows a community still deeply connected to its rural roots, evidenced by the numerous small schools like Atchison Sch and family-named landmarks like Stout Ridge and Gentry Cem.

A notable highlight of the local development is the CCC Camp Mc Arthur near the Virginia-Tennessee boundary, representing Depression-era public works in the high country. Water plays a central role in the topography and industry, from the recreational Silver Lake to the waters of Beaverdam Creek and its early Beaverdam Reservoir. The map captures the intricate network of hollows and ridges that shaped the lives of residents before modern thoroughfares altered the mountain passages.