1898 Map of Paw Paw

About this map

The Potomac River carves a dramatic, winding path through the ridge-and-valley landscape of the Appalachian Mountains on this late-19th-century survey. Transportation infrastructure dominates the river corridor, where the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad navigate the narrow bends of the valley floor. The map highlights the complex engineering required to bypass river meanders, most notably at the sharp oxbows near Paw Paw and Magnolia.