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1949 Map of Manchester

Name: 1949 Topographic Map of Manchester
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1972
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1972

About this map

Manchester and the surrounding rural communities of Walker County appear here during the late 1940s, a period when the landscape was defined by coal mining and agricultural life. The meandering path of Blackwater Creek serves as a central geographical feature, winding past Brakefield Bend and under the Johnsey Bridge. The presence of a Strip Mine near Marigold points to the area's industrial importance, while numerous country churches and schools like Thatch Jr High Sch and Lamons Chapel anchor the social fabric of these small settlements.

Transportation networks are heavily represented by the Alabama Central Railroad and the Southern Railway, which facilitated the movement of goods and people through Gamble Sta. This survey captures a specific moment before later modernization, documenting now-obscure locales such as Hudson Settlement and South Lowell. From the William B Bankhead National Forest boundary in the north to the Musgrove Country Club in the south, the map provides a clear view of the family-named landmarks and cemeteries that define this corner of Alabama.