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1953 Map of Mason-Dixon

Name: 1953 Topographic Map of Mason-Dixon
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1966
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1966

About this map

Conococheague Creek dominates this landscape, its deep meanders carving through the Maryland and Pennsylvania borderlands. This 1953 revision captures the agrarian and industrial character of Washington County just after the war, showing the Mason and Dixon Line dividing Montgomery and Antrim townships. The map reveals a dense network of local landmarks, from the Wilson Quarry and Jamison Yard to rural social centers like Sunrise Sch and Pleasant Hill Ch.

Settlement patterns follow the winding water and historical turnpikes, with crossroads communities such as Martins Crossroads, Cearfoss, and Huyett serving as focal points. The presence of multiple named schoolhouses, including Speckerberger Sch and Locust Level Sch, provides a clear view of the mid-century educational landscape before the era of widespread school consolidation. The Western Maryland railroad tracks cut across the southern edge, grounding the region's transport economy in the rail-and-river geography of the Potomac basin.