1980 Map of Rocky Point

About this map

The Northeast Cape Fear River snakes through the southern reaches of this Pender County landscape, anchoring a network of drainage that includes Turkey Creek and Morgans Creek. This 1980 color infrared orthophoto quadrangle reveals a patchwork of agricultural clearings and dense wooded tracts characteristic of the coastal plain. Small clusters of rural settlement like Rocky Point and Bells Crossroads are interspersed among larger family-named locales, including Little Kelly and Highsmith. The imagery provides a clear view of the land use patterns during this era, from the riverfront at Clarks Landing to the northern fields of Twin Oak. Unlike a traditional line-drawn map, this aerial survey records the exact texture of the vegetation and the winding paths of minor waterways like Pike Creek and Rizzo Creek as they existed in the early 1980s.