1959 Map of Rodentown

About this map

Sand Mountain and the sharp descent of the Tennessee Valley Divide define the landscape across the borders of Etowah, DeKalb, and Marshall Counties. Small agrarian communities and school sites like the Center Point Sch and the Smith Institute reflect the rural settlement patterns of northern Alabama in the mid-20th century. The topography is split between the high plateau and the lowland valleys of Dugout Valley and the Tennessee Valley, connected by narrow passes such as Horton Gap, Belcher Gap, and Leath Gap. Local travel during this era relied on historic routes like the Georgia Road and its earlier alignment, the Old Georgia Road. The map also documents numerous country churches and family burial grounds, including Bethlehem Ch and the Sardis Cem, providing a detailed view of the social and genealogical fabric of these interconnected ridge-and-valley communities.