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1986 Map of New Castle

Name: 1986 Topographic Map of New Castle
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1986
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1986

About this map

The Big Blue River and Sugar Creek drainage basins define the rural and industrial landscape of East Central Indiana in this mid-1980s compilation. Regional hubs like New Castle, Greenfield, and Connersville are shown at the height of their twentieth-century development, connected by a dense lattice of transportation corridors including Interstate 70 and the historic U.S. Highway 40. The map documents the extensive rail infrastructure of the era, featuring the Conrail and Norfolk and Western lines that once powered the local manufacturing economy.

Smaller hamlets and landmarks offer significant detail for local historians, from the Little Blue River Church to the sprawling Fort Benjamin Harrison Military Reservation in the northwest corner. Surveying the area just before significant suburban expansion, this record captures the traditional layout of agricultural townships and river-valley settlements such as Knightstown and Morristown. Prominent local resting places like East Hill Cemetery and Riverside Cemetery are clearly marked alongside the recreational expanse of Geist Reservoir.