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1894 Map of Laurel

Name: 1894 Topographic Map of Laurel
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1905
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1905

About this map

Laurel serves as the central hub of this late-19th-century landscape, positioned where the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad meets the Patuxent River. The map reveals a corridor of early industrial and transit activity, marked by numerous Iron Ore deposits and historic depots such as Annapolis Junc. and Savage Sta.. Settlement patterns are dictated by the river valleys, with clusters of activity at Oakland Mills and Guilford along the Middle Patuxent River.

A network of local roads and crossings, including Snell Bridge and Brown Bridge, connects established rural communities like Clarksville, Simpsonville, and Fulton. To the south, the presence of the Baltimore and Potomac R. R. and institutions like College at Beltsville signal the area's ongoing development. This survey, conducted by A.E. Murlin, documents the transition from a resource-based economy to a connected railroad corridor at the turn of the century.