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1953 Map of Meridian

Name: 1953 Topographic Map of Meridian
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1974
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1974

About this map

Meridian stands as the central hub of a deep South landscape defined by its timbered forests and complex river drainage at the turn of the 1970s. The map captures the significant presence of the Choctaw Indian Reservation scattered across the hilly terrain near Philadelphia. Broad swaths of the Bienville National Forest dominate the central-western portion of the sheet, while the military footprint at NAS Meridian indicates the area's strategic importance during the mid-century era.

Transport and topography dictate the settlement patterns here, from the historic Natchez Trace Parkway cutting through the northwest to the major rail junctions of the Illinois Central Railroad and Southern Railway. In the outlying rural districts of Lauderdale County, local landmarks like Prince Chapel and Binnsville suggest a social fabric centered on small communities. The terrain transitions from the Red Hills toward the bottomlands of the Tombigbee River and Black Warrior River in Alabama, marking a clear change in the agricultural and industrial character of the borderlands.