1919 Map of Nolansburg

About this map

Pine Mountain and Cumberland Mountain dominate this corner of the Appalachian coalfields, where the steep terrain dictated a pattern of narrow valley settlements along the Poor Fork and Clover Fork. The map records the industrial landscape of Harlan County during the height of the early 20th-century mining boom, showing the critical role of the Louisville & Nashville RR and the Southern Ry in connecting isolated communities like Evarts and Nolansburg to the outside world. Cultural and educational life is anchored by the Pine Mountain Settlement School, a notable institution established to serve the rural mountain population. Further south near the Virginia border, mining activity and post offices such as Imperial and Leona Mines PO appear alongside Pennington Gap, illustrating the cross-border economic ties through the Pocket and over the mountain gaps.