1942 Map of Oakland

About this map

The Embarrass River carves a deep, wooded corridor through the level prairie land of Coles and Douglas Counties, defining the drainage patterns for the surrounding townships of Bowdre, Sargent, and Oakland. In the early 1940s, this region was a dense network of rural school districts and family-named landmarks, reflecting an era of localized agrarian community life. Educational hubs like the Seven Hickory Sch and Winkleblack Sch served the outlying farmsteads, while the Pennsylvania railroad line connected the elevators at Hindsboro, Kemp, and Oakland. Genealogists will find significant value in the documentation of small family burial grounds, such as the Patsy Mitchell Cem and Guinn Cem, which sit alongside established congregations at Oak Grove Ch and Antioch Sch. The map also captures the early civil infrastructure of the day, including the Barnett Bridge crossing and the Brushy Fork Town Hall.