1929 Map of Penfield

About this map

Tyler and Penfield sit along the winding valley of Bennett Branch in this 1929 survey, where the Buffalo Rochester and Pittsburgh RR follows the narrow corridors of the Allegheny Plateau. The landscape is defined by its early industrial and agricultural footprint, marked by numerous rural schoolhouses such as Gelnett Sch, Coal Hill Sch, and Mt Pleasant Sch that served isolated upland communities. To the west, Du Bois and Oklahoma emerge as more concentrated hubs of activity near Sandy Lick Creek. High points along Boone Mountain and Beacon Ridge are anchored by fire lookout towers, including the Boone Mountain Fire Tower, while the terrain below is crisscrossed by old thoroughfares like the Pennsylvania and Susquehanna Road. This snapshot of central Pennsylvania shows a region transitioning from a timber and rail economy into a more established network of farms and small settlements.