1926 Map of New Martinsville

About this map

The Ohio River forms the backbone of this 1920s-era survey, serving as the vital conduit for the Baltimore and Ohio railroad and the clusters of industrial and residential growth at New Martinsville and Sistersville. This stretch of the valley is characterized by deep river bottoms like Wells Bottom and Buck Hill Bottom, where agriculture and industry met at the water's edge. Inland, the map reveals a dense network of upland communities defined by one-room schoolhouses and country chapels, such as Democracy School and German Baptist Church. The presence of the County Infirmary near Steelton and Winders Mill on the Ohio side suggests the established social and economic infrastructure of the period. Genealogists can trace family footprints across numerous named ridges and runs, including Chiselfinger Ridge and Pursley Creek, which remained largely rural as the river towns modernized.