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1894 Map of Petersburg

Name: 1894 Topographic Map of Petersburg
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1942
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1942

About this map

The Appomattox River serves as the focal point for this late nineteenth-century landscape, where industrial infrastructure meets the lingering scars of the Civil War. Just south of the river and the urban centers of Blandford and Pocahontas, the map identifies The Crater, a site of significant military history. The surrounding countryside is defined by a dense network of water-powered industry and rural social hubs, including Smiths Mill and Rowland's Mill, alongside community anchors like Gary Church and the Almshouse.

Transportation patterns reveal a transition between the old wagon roads, such as the Jerusalem Plank Road, and the emerging dominance of the Atlantic Coast Line and Norfolk & Western RR. Numerous "crossings" such as Haskin Crossing and Watt Crossing illustrate where the iron rails intersected the lives of residents in Dinwiddie and Prince George counties. From the Battersea Canal to the remote reaches of Rowanty Creek, this survey documents the complex geography of Southside Virginia before the modern era.