1994 Map of Masontown

About this map

Croatan National Forest dominates this coastal landscape, revealing the complex drainage and wetland systems of eastern North Carolina in the mid-1990s. The northern portion is defined by the Lake Simon Ellis and Little Lake system, where the North Canal, Middle Canal, and South Canal represent significant human alteration of the hydrology to manage the low-lying terrain. To the south, the Pocosin Wilderness preserves a more primitive state of the Millis Swamp and the headwaters of the Newport River. Small settlements like Masontown and Holly Springs occupy the slightly higher ground near the Atlantic and East Carolina railroad corridor, while Newport and Havelock mark the more developed edges of the quadrangle. The map is particularly useful for identifying the specific network of prongs and branches, such as Northwest Prong and Cypress Prong, that feed into the tidal estuary system.