Loading map...

1954 Map of Pownal

Name: 1954 Topographic Map of Pownal
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1957
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1957

About this map

The Green Mountain National Forest dominates the eastern half of this mid-century survey, rising toward prominent heights like The Dome and Harmon Hill. In the valleys below, the landscape is defined by a dense network of local schools and family-named cemeteries, reflecting a deeply rooted rural community in transition during the 1950s. The Ethan Allen Highway and the Boston and Maine Railroad trace the path of the Hoosic River through the southwestern corner, connecting the village of Pownal to the larger center of Bennington in the north.

Institutional landmarks like the Holy Cross Novitiate and Putnam Hospital sit on the periphery of Bennington, while the hillsides are dotted with local identifiers such as Mason Hill and Carpenter Hill. Genealogists will find significant value in the distribution of rural burial grounds, including Park Lawn, Bushnell Cem, and Oak Hill Cem, alongside the numerous small schoolhouses like Barber Sch and Varney Sch that once anchored these Vermont neighborhoods.