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1907 Map of Natural Bridge

Name: 1907 Topographic Map of Natural Bridge
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1944
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1944

About this map

Buchanan and the winding James River anchor this early twentieth-century survey of the Virginia highlands, where industrial relics and rural settlements occupy the narrow valleys between North Mountain and Biggs Mtn. Evidence of the region's iron-making history is preserved in labels for the Jane Furnace (Ruins) and Rebecca Furnace, while the local economy is further detailed by numerous water-powered sites such as Rapps Mill and Red Mills.

Transport and community life are well-documented, showing the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal following the river's bend and the Natural Bridge Sta Sherwood PO serving the northern reaches. The survey captures a dense network of country institutions including the Seceder Church, Highbridge Church, and Hamilton School, providing a detailed look at the social geography of Botetourt and Rockbridge counties before mid-century modernization altered these mountain corridors.