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1949 Map of Mason Ridge

Name: 1949 Topographic Map of Mason Ridge
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1971
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1971

About this map

The Tennessee River - Wheeler Lake corridor dominates this landscape, where the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge preserves the river's backwaters and islands. The 1949 field examination documents a rural society established on the higher ground of Turkey Mountain and Mason Ridge, while the river lowlands are a maze of ponds and sloughs like Buckeye Pond and Leemon Slough. Genealogists will find a high density of family and community burial sites, including the Hundley Cem, Ashford Cem, and Kolb Cem.

Smaller settlements such as New Hope and Swancott are linked by a network of local roads, including the notably named Wall Street. The presence of numerous small churches and schools, such as Needmore Ch and St John Sch, underscores the dispersed nature of early 20th-century North Alabama communities. Industrial elements of the era are visible near the water, including a Pumping station and Rockhouse Landing, reflecting the area's continued reliance on the river as both a resource and a landmark.