Loading map...

1907 Map of Laurel

Name: 1907 Topographic Map of Laurel
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1912
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1912

About this map

Laurel serves as the central hub in this early twentieth-century survey, situated at the intersection of a developing rail network and the winding courses of the Middle Patuxent River and Little Patuxent River. The landscape reveals a transition from traditional agricultural practices to early industrial and institutional development, evidenced by the Baltimore and Ohio RR (Washington Branch) and the presence of the Normal Institute.

Small milling communities and rural settlements such as Oakland Mills, Savage, and Simpsonville are connected by a network of historic thoroughfares, including the Old Rolling Road and the Old Annapolis Road. Local landmarks like the House of Reformation near Jessup and Mistletoe Springs further define the social and topographic character of the region during this period of expansion between Baltimore and Washington.