1976 Map of Northwest Lumberton

About this map

Lumberton sits at the southern edge of this mid-1970s orthophotograph, where the city’s residential streets begin to yield to the expansive agricultural and wooded landscape of Robeson County. The image, captured in January 1976, reveals a patchwork of cleared fields and dense forest typical of the North Carolina coastal plain during this era. Dominating the central and northern sections of the map are the dark, meandering ribbons of wetlands and waterways, most notably Saddletree Swamp. These drainage systems create natural boundaries between farm tracts, while smaller water bodies like Circle T Lake provide local landmarks within the rural landscape. This visual record is particularly useful for observing mid-century land use patterns and the early suburban growth expanding northward from the city center before later 20th-century developments further altered the terrain.