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1917 Map of Mathews

Name: 1917 Topographic Map of Mathews
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1934
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1934

About this map

The Middle Peninsula of Virginia is defined by its deep maritime heritage and intricate waterways, as shown in this 1916 survey. The local economy and social life of the era revolve around the water, evidenced by a network of landings including Callis Wharf and Williams Wharf, and the prominent Steamboat Route traversing Mobjack Bay. Near the Mathews Co Gloucester Co line, the Fort Nonsense (Ruins) stand as a landmark of regional history.

Settlements like Mathews, Port Haywood, and Achilles anchor the interior, connected by country roads to community pillars such as Trinity Church and the Lee Jackson School. The landscape is a complex puzzle of points and necks, from the northern Gwynns Island down to the lighthouse at New Point Comfort. In the south, the Guinea Marshes and the many branches of the Severn River illustrate the low-lying, tide-washed geography that shaped the development of Gloucester and Mathews counties during the early twentieth century.