1956 Map of Newman

About this map

The agricultural landscape of east-central Illinois is defined by the convergence of four counties—Champaign, Vermilion, Douglas, and Edgar—as it appeared in the mid-1950s. The region is anchored by established settlements like Newman and Sidell, where the Baltimore and Ohio and Chicago and Eastern Illinois railroads supported a thriving grain-based economy. Small rural clusters like Maizetown, Palermo, and Hildreth dot the prairie between larger towns, many serving as local social centers around landmarks such as Fairfield Ch and the Jamaica High Sch.