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1953 Map of Rocky Mount

Name: 1953 Topographic Map of Rocky Mount
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1980
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1980

About this map

Coastal plains and expansive pocosin wetlands define this mid-century landscape, dominated by the great estuaries of the Albemarle Sound and Pamlico Sound. This region of Eastern North Carolina exhibits a complex interplay between land and water, where the Roanoke River and Tar River navigate toward the coast through dense marshlands like the East Dismal Swamp and Big Pocosin. Interior centers like Goldsboro, Kinston, and Rocky Mount are linked by the Seaboard Coast Line and Norfolk Southern railroads, serving as hubs for the surrounding agricultural and forestry lands such as Hofmann Forest.

Large-scale conservation efforts are evident in the vast Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge and the Swanquarter National Wildlife Refuge, protecting the unique hydrology of the inner banks. The presence of Seymour Johnson AFB near Goldsboro highlights the strategic military footprint in the post-war South, while coastal reaches like Cape Lookout National Seashore and historic river towns like New Bern and Bath preserve the heritage of the Atlantic seaboard.