1960 Map of New Bavaria

About this map

Holgate and New Bavaria anchor this landscape of the Black Swamp region, where the grid of the Public Land Survey System is superimposed over a network of vital drainage infrastructure. Numerous watercourses like North Creek and Powell Creek are supplemented by man-made cuts including Gustwiller Ditch and Mess Ditch, illustrating the intensive efforts required to maintain productive farmland in this corner of northwest Ohio. The Norfolk and Western railway cuts diagonally through the southern townships, passing the small settlement of Wisterman. Local community life is centered around rural landmarks like St Stephens Ch and the Sacred Heart Sch, while the presence of several burying grounds such as St Johns Cem and Township Cem provide significant points of interest for those researching the early families of Pleasant and Monroe townships.