Loading map...

1939 Map of Orbisonia

Name: 1939 Topographic Map of Orbisonia
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1958
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1958

About this map

Orbisonia and neighboring Rockhill anchor the northern landscape of this region, defined by the narrow valleys and ridges of the central Pennsylvania highlands. This survey, completed just before the regional transformation brought by the Pennsylvania Turnpike, documents a rural economy still largely dependent on local industry and rail transport. The East Broad Top RR winds through the hills, connecting mining and timber communities like Saltillo and Three Springs.

Evidence of early industrial settlement is scattered throughout Path Valley and Horse Valley, where landmarks like Kuhns Mill and Hoovers Mill stand alongside numerous country schools and churches, such as St Marys Ch and the curiously named Wood-Cutting Sch. The topography is marked by significant peaks like Jacks Mtn and Shade Mountain, which constrained early development to narrow corridors. Notable for genealogists, the map identifies small hamlets such as Burnt Cabins and Knobsville, offering a look at the settlement patterns of Huntingdon, Fulton, and Franklin Counties in the late 1930s.