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1921 Map of Meyersdale

Name: 1921 Topographic Map of Meyersdale
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1942
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1942

About this map

Allegheny Mountain and Glade Mountain dominate the eastern and southwestern horizons of this Somerset County landscape, which was surveyed in 1919 just after the First World War. The Casselman River carves a deep, winding valley through the center of the sheet, providing a corridor for both the Baltimore and Ohio and the Western Maryland railroads. These lines were the lifeblood of the local economy, connecting industrial centers like Meyersdale and Rockwood to the various coal operations dotting the hillsides, including the Beachley Mine and the Mc Gregor Mines.

The density of small rural schoolhouses—such as Plank Road School, Hardie School, and Sandy Hollow School—points to a deeply distributed agricultural and mining population. Near Mt Davis, the highest point in Pennsylvania, the terrain transitions into the high-elevation plateaus of Elk Lick. The map also captures several vanished or consolidated post offices like Centerville Glade PO, offering a detailed look at the social geography of the era before modern road networks bypassed these small mountain communities.