Loading map...

1954 Map of Monongahela

Name: 1954 Topographic Map of Monongahela
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1979
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1979

About this map

The Monongahela River carves a deep valley through this industrial landscape, where steel-town density meets the rural coal heights of Washington County. Industrial centers like Monessen and Charleroi line the riverbanks, their grids tightly packed with schools such as the Vocational High Sch and numerous ethnic parishes including St Nicholas Ch and St Spyridon Ch. This mid-century view captures the region's height of rail-dependent manufacturing, with the Conrail lines hugging the water to serve the many towns and works.

Away from the river, the terrain rises into the dissected hills of Union and Carroll townships. Here, smaller mining settlements and family-named locales like Hazel Kirk, Van Voorhis, and Cracker Jack are connected by winding roads and proximity to local resources like the Strip Mine operations. The presence of the large Monongahela Cemetery and many smaller burial grounds like Ohar Sholom Cem provides a clear record of the communities that built the Mon Valley.