1931 Map of Morgantown

About this map

Morgantown serves as the industrial and academic anchor of this early 20th-century landscape, situated along the winding Monongahela River. The map captures the region's transition from heavy industry to a more settled rural pattern, showing the dense network of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad connecting riverside settlements like Star City and Westover. To the east, Chestnut Ridge rises steeply, marked by remnants of the area's iron heritage at Clinton Furnace, Clay Furnace, and Laurel Iron Works. These landmarks, along with the Mont Chateau Quarry, reflect an economy deeply tied to the extraction and processing of local resources. Outside the urban center, the terrain is dotted with small communities and family-named schools such as McBee School and Gott School, illustrating the dispersed settlement patterns of Monongalia County before modern highway expansion.