1943 Map of Mauriceville

About this map

Mauriceville and Lemonville anchor this 1940s landscape in East Texas, where the intersection of timber-era rail lines and an intricate network of drainage levees shaped the local economy. The Kansas City Southern and Missouri Pacific railroads cut diagonal paths through a terrain defined by the winding course of Adams Bayou and Little Cypress Bayou. This survey, compiled from 1920s topography and 1942 aerial photography, documents a period before modern residential expansion took hold. Local family history is preserved in several small burial grounds, including the Wilkinson Cem and Pharis Cem, while the Little Cypress Sch marks a central point for the surrounding rural community. Evidence of earlier regional travel is seen in the Old Spanish Trail, which runs along the southern edge of the quadrangle near the settlement of Gratis.