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1953 Map of Newark West

Name: 1953 Topographic Map of Newark West
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1964
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1964

About this map

The Mason and Dixon Line serves as a central horizontal axis for this 1953 survey, marking the historic boundary between Pennsylvania and Maryland. To the east, the state line shifts south along the Maryland Delaware border, creating a complex intersection of jurisdictions near Newark. The landscape is defined by the drainage of Big Elk Creek and the Christina River, which supported early industrial pockets like Elk Mills.

Development is anchored by the University of Delaware campus, while the surrounding countryside remains dotted with family-named landmarks and rural institutions. Significant genealogical sites include the Welsh Tract Ch and numerous small burial grounds such as Sharpes Cem and London Tract Cem. The presence of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad and the Fair Hill Race Track illustrates the era's mix of heavy transit and local recreation before the expansion of the modern interstate system.