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1929 Map of Lillydale

Name: 1929 Topographic Map of Lillydale
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1929
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1929

About this map

The Cumberland River and Obey River define this deeply dissected landscape along the Tennessee-Kentucky border during the mid-1920s. This survey records a river-dependent economy in the years before major dam projects transformed the region's hydrology. Scores of named river bends, such as Goodpasture Bend and Peterman Bend, sit adjacent to fertile bottomlands like Washes Bottom and Vernon Bottom, which supported an extensive network of small farming communities.

Transport was dictated by the terrain, with river crossings such as Carys Ferry and Madison Ford serving as vital links between settlements like Martinsburg Raydure PO and Lillydale. The map is particularly dense with rural institutions, documenting dozens of one-room schoolhouses such as India School, Elm Shade School, and Mount Lou School, alongside country landmarks like Taylors Store and the History Grove Church. This distribution of schools and crossroads stores reflects a dispersed population tied to the timber and tobacco lands of the Highland Rim.