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1962 Map of Prichard

Name: 1962 Topographic Map of Prichard
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1972
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1972

About this map

The Big Sandy River forms the vital boundary between West Virginia and Kentucky in this early 1960s survey, anchoring a landscape defined by the parallel industrial paths of the Norfolk and Western and Chesapeake and Ohio railroads. The settlement at Prichard serves as a central hub, while smaller communities like Hubbardstown and Zelda sit along the river's edge. This era shows an intensive extraction economy, with numerous Gas Wells and Oil Wells peppered through the winding hollows of Butler and Union districts.

Local history is preserved in the high density of family cemeteries and rural congregations, such as Brick Church and Mayo Chapel. The terrain is deeply dissected by a network of waterways including Hurricane Creek and Gragston Creek, which carve out the ridges where small landmarks like Smith Sch and the Hodge Memorial stand. This map documents the transition of the Big Sandy valley during a period when rail transport and resource extraction remained the primary drivers of the local economy.