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1943 Map of Oxford

Name: 1943 Topographic Map of Oxford
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1945
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1945

About this map

The University of Mississippi and the city of Oxford serve as the focal point of this wartime survey, which captures Lafayette County during a period of significant hydraulic and infrastructure change. To the northwest, the recently filled Sardis Reservoir has reshaped the Tallahatchie River valley, with its normal pool and flood stage elevations clearly marked near Toby Tubby Creek. This landscape is defined by a dense network of rural institutions, including the College Hill settlement and numerous family-named landmarks such as Buford Chapel and Davidson Sch.

Transportation is dominated by the Illinois Central railroad corridor, which links the northern community of Abbeville to the university town and southward toward Taylor. The map also details early industrial and aviation footprints, such as the Carter Mine and the Oxford Airport, set against the ridges of Terrapin Mtn and Thacker Mtn. Researchers will find a comprehensive record of rural Black and white churches and schools, from Pearly Gate Sch to New Salem Ch, that anchored these Mississippi communities in the early 1940s.