Loading map...

1932 Map of Penfield

Name: 1932 Topographic Map of Penfield
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1932
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1932

About this map

Boone Mountain and its high ridgelines dominate the landscape in this early 1930s survey of central Pennsylvania, where the deep valleys of Anderson Creek and the South Branch Bennett Branch Sinnemahoning Creek defined the local geography. The map captures a moment when the region relied heavily on a dense network of mountain railroads, including the Pennsylvania RR and the Buffalo Rochester and Pittsburgh RR, which connected industrial hubs like Du Bois and Penfield to smaller mining and timber settlements.

Evidence of rural life and conservation is found throughout the hills, from the numerous one-room schoolhouses like Mt Pleasant Sch and Greenville Sch to the Clearfield Nursery. The transition toward forest management and fire prevention is marked by the presence of both the Boone Mountain Fire Tower and the Smith Fire Tower. Researchers can trace the complex drainage patterns feeding the Du Bois Reservoir and identify several family-named landmarks like McEwen Run and Gobbler Knob.