1956 Map of Pikeville

About this map

The town of Pikeville sits within the valley formed by the Sequatchie River, a corridor of settlement flanked by the Cumberland Plateau to the west and Walden Ridge to the east. This 1956 field examination by the Tennessee Valley Authority reveals a landscape of family-named landmarks and rural institutions, including Wesley Chapel and the Lincoln Sch. The terrain is defined by dramatic elevation changes along the Cumberland Escarpment, where gaps such as Rigsby Gap and Loyd Gap provide passage between the highland coves and the valley floor. Transportation is anchored by the Taft Highway and the Alvin C York Highway, while older routes like the St Louis and Nashville Road trace the earlier movement of people through the county. In the southern portion of the sheet, evidence of resource extraction appears near the Bledsoe and Rhea County line with a designated strip mine area.