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1960 Map of Masontown

Name: 1960 Topographic Map of Masontown
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1977
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1977

About this map

Extensive industrial activity defines the landscape between Masontown and Reedsville during the mid-twentieth century. The region is heavily marked by the extraction economy of the Valley Mines, with numerous Strip Mines and Coke Ovens situated alongside the Baltimore and Ohio railroad corridor. This rail line follows the winding path of Deckers Creek, connecting smaller settlements like Cascade and Bretz to the larger coal-and-coke infrastructure.

Away from the industrial valley, the map documents a network of rural community landmarks such as Sturgiss Ch, Zinn Chapel, and the Sarver Sch. The northern portion of the quadrangle is dominated by the steep terrain of Coopers Rock State Forest and the deep gorge of the Cheat River at Beaverhole. This 1960 survey, updated with 1976 photorevisions, preserves the layout of Arthurdale, the nation's first New Deal subsistence homestead community, just as its original residential patterns remained visible decades after its founding.