Loading map...

1927 Map of Martinsville

Name: 1927 Topographic Map of Martinsville
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1942
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1942

About this map

The Smith River meanders through the heart of Henry County, Virginia, anchoring a landscape defined by small mill settlements and a dense network of early 20th-century rural infrastructure. This 1920s survey depicts Martinsville as a burgeoning industrial center, supported by the Norfolk and Western Railway and the Danville and Western Railway. Local industry is evidenced by sites like the Rough and Ready Mill and the textile-based community of Fieldale.

Away from the rail lines, the map reveals a highly localized social geography, with dozens of one-room schoolhouses such as Shumate School, Meadows School, and Marrowbone School dotting the ridges. For genealogists, the placement of landmarks like Rangeleys Store and Rock Run Church provides specific insight into the settlement patterns of families in the Virginia-North Carolina borderlands, from Chestnut Knob down to the state line at Price.