1963 Map of Redwood

About this map

Blackwater River and Maggodee Creek define the drainage of this rural landscape in the mid-1960s, prior to the major flooding of the region by Smith Mountain Lake. The settlement pattern reflects a deeply rooted agrarian society, where small crossroads like Burnt Chimney and Redwood serve as local hubs for scattered farmsteads. Genealogical interest is particularly high here, as the map documents dozens of family burial grounds, including the Poindexter, Altice, and McGuire cemeteries, which are often the only remaining markers of nineteenth-century homesteads. Industrial history is represented by the Piedmont Mill and the Norfolk and Western rail line, which cuts through the southwestern corner near Rocky Mount. An Old Railroad Grade running through the center of the sheet indicates a shift in local transport and commerce even by the time of this survey.