1939 Map of Madison West

About this map

Madison and the Hanover bluff dominate the landscape along the Ohio River in this late 1930s survey of southern Indiana. The river bend is characterized by steep limestone escarpments and dramatic waterfalls, including Clifty Falls within the eponymous Clifty Falls State Park, alongside numerous smaller drops like Chain Mill Falls and Fremont Falls. The upland area is anchored by Hanover College and the large grounds of the State Hospital near the river’s edge. Local life is documented through scattered rural institutions such as the Antioch Grange, the County Infirmary, and historic burying grounds including Springdale Cem and Old Bethel Cem. This record of Jefferson Co illustrates a transition from the dense urban grid of Madison to the fertile bottomlands of Lee Bottom and the rugged creek valleys that carve through the river hills.