1970 Map of Mary Esther

About this map

Eglin Air Force Base dominates the northern and central landscape of this 1970s-era study, highlighted by the sprawling infrastructure of Aux Field No 9 and its associated runways. To the south, the community of Mary Esther and the expanding suburban blocks of Fort Walton Beach are separated from the Gulf of Mexico by the Santa Rosa Sound and the barrier dunes of Santa Rosa Island. The map documents a period of rapid development in Okaloosa County, with new residential streets like Bryn Mawr and Palmetto Ave pushing into the pine woods near the Military Reservation Boundary. Local social history is preserved in the location of Beal Cemetery, the Holy Trinity Ch, and several neighborhood schools including Wright Sch and Florosa Sch. The northern terrain remains largely undeveloped, defined by drainages like Alligator Creek and Turtle Creek flowing toward Cinco Bayou.