1945 Map of Newburg

About this map

The boundary between Franklin and Lawrence Counties cuts through a landscape defined by the deep ridges of the William B. Bankhead National Forest. This 1945 survey, updated in the late 1960s, documents a community-centered rural geography where life revolved around local congregations and crossroads. Settlements like Newburg and Atwood serve as anchors for a network of schools and churches including Piney Grove School and Kimbrough Chapel. The map reveals the early importance of historic transportation routes like the Byler Road and Old Byler Road, which follow the higher ground near the Tennessee Valley Ridge Area. Below these ridges, numerous hollows and creeks like Denton Hollow and Mud Creek illustrate the complex drainage patterns that shaped the early farms and homesteads of the region.