1936 Map of Light

About this map

The rugged divide along the Tennessee-Alabama state line in the mid-1930s was a landscape defined by small upland farms and an extensive network of rural institutions. This survey, conducted by the Tennessee Valley Authority, reveals a densely settled countryside where community life centered on locations like Crossroads Ch and its neighboring Crossroads Sch. Family names are etched into the geography through landmarks such as Whitten Chapel Cem, Roberson Cem, and Daniel Cem, providing critical touchstones for genealogists tracing ancestors in the border region of Wayne County and Lauderdale County. The terrain is deeply dissected by the waters of Butler Creek and Cypress Creek, where the presence of a Mine (Abandoned) near the Star settlement points to early attempts at resource extraction in this wooded hill country before the modern era of highway expansion.