Loading map...

1948 Map of Lewis Creek

Name: 1948 Topographic Map of Lewis Creek
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1948
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1948

About this map

Pennsylvania railroad tracks cut a straight diagonal through this mid-century Indiana landscape, connecting the small settlements of Smithland, Fenns, and Lewis Creek. The area is defined by a dense network of agricultural drainage, where Roberts Ditch, Thompson Ditch, and Parrish Ditch channel water toward the larger Flatrock Creek and Blue River. These watercourses dictate the placement of local homesteads and small family-named landmarks like McFarren Hill and Money Hill.

Genealogical interest is high across these townships, with numerous burial sites including Miller Cem, Patterson Cem, and Eberhart Cem serving as markers of early rural communities. Institutional life is centered around the Shelby Township School, the County Home, and local congregations at Pleasant Grove Church and Winchester Ch. The map reflects a highly organized rural grid just before the significant postwar expansion of nearby larger towns, preserving the exact layout of farms and secondary roads in the late 1940s.