1958 Map of Purmela

About this map

The Leon River winds through the northeast corner of this central Texas landscape, where the Gatesville State School for Boys stands as a prominent landmark just north of Gatesville. The map captures a transition from the river valley into the broken terrain of the Shell Mountains, characterized by high points like Williamson Mountain and Bagget Mountain. Local life in the late 1950s is anchored by small rural centers such as Purmela, King, and Pidcoke, many of which supported their own institutions like the Purmela Sch and the Standlee Chapel. For genealogists, the map preserves the locations of the Hermeline Cem and several unnamed cemeteries. Transportation history is evidenced by an Old Railroad Grade following the river and a Pipeline cutting across the southern hills, while the Reservation Boundary indicates the edge of military territory in the southeast near Graham Gap.