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1924 Map of Mt. Union

Name: 1924 Topographic Map of Mt. Union
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1937
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1937

About this map

Juniata River meanders through a landscape defined by the sharp, parallel ridges of the central Pennsylvania Appalachians, including Jacks Mountain and Shade Mountain. During the 1920s, the industrial footprint of the region is evident at the Lucy Furnace and the busy Pennsylvania RR corridor that follows the river's winding path through Mount Union and Mapleton Depot.

Rural life in the valleys is documented by an extraordinary density of local schoolhouses, such as Smoke School, Glick School, and Fair Oak School, which served the scattered agricultural communities between the ridges. The map captures the transition of regional travel as the William Penn Highway begins to parallel the older rail lines. Further south, the settlement of Shirleysburg and the winding Aughwick Creek illustrate the secluded nature of the valley floors, where small post offices like Richvale Shade Valley PO anchored local commerce.