1940 Map of Oxford

About this map

The University of Mississippi serves as the focal point of this North Mississippi landscape during a period of transition in the late 1930s. To the northwest, the newly completed Sardis Reservoir Tallahatchie River is shown at its normal pool and flood stages, a massive engineering project that fundamentally altered the drainage of Lafayette Co. This survey captures the rural infrastructure of the era in remarkable detail, from the Illinois Central RR corridor connecting Abbeville and Oxford to the numerous small-scale community landmarks such as College Hill Sta and St Johns Cem. The interior is dotted with one-room schoolhouses and country churches like Davidson Sch and Buford Chapel, many associated with family names and local topography like Thacker Mtn. The southern extent is defined by the winding course of the Yocona River, reflecting the region's agricultural roots before later water management projects reached these reaches.