1940 Map of Philadelphia

About this map

Philadelphia and Old Sweetwater anchor this 1940 Tennessee Valley Authority and USGS topographic study, showing the region at a moment of transition as the Watts Bar Res began to influence the northern reaches of the Tennessee R. The map details a landscape defined by parallel ridges like Snow Ridge and Matlock Ridge, where small farming communities and educational outposts such as Pond Creek Sch and Sunnyside Sch were connected by winding creek-side roads. The Southern railroad and the Lee Highway serve as the primary transit corridors, cutting through the valley and linking the rural settlements. Genealogists will find significant value in the distribution of family-named landmarks and rural institutions, including Roberson Cem, New Hope Ch, and the dual-purpose Stocton Valley Ch Snow Sch, which speak to the deeply rooted social structure of Roane, Loudon, and Monroe counties prior to mid-century modernization.