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1944 Map of Orwigsburg

Name: 1944 Topographic Map of Orwigsburg
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1967
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1967

About this map

The ridge-and-valley landscape of Schuylkill River valley in the mid-1940s is defined by its deep coal-country roots and the transition between industrial mountain corridors and the agricultural basins of East Brunswick and West Brunswick. Steep terrain at Sharp Mountain and Second Mountain funnels settlement along the water, with the Reading railroad lines serving the anthracite-linked communities of New Philadelphia Silver Creek P O, Middleport, and Brockton.

Further south, the character of the land softens into the farm-dotted hills surrounding Orwigsburg, where local life is anchored by a network of rural institutions. Small schoolhouses like Breiner Sch and Pinedale Sch are still prominent on the landscape, alongside community hubs like Bethel Ch and Zion Ch. The presence of the Landing Field near Pinedale Sch and the Orwigsburg Reservoir highlights the evolving infrastructure of the mid-century, while the Little Schuylkill River marks the eastern boundary at Drehersville.