1903 Map of Rural Valley

About this map

Allegheny River frontage and the deep incisions of the Red Bank Creek and Mahoning Creek define this section of Armstrong County at the dawn of the twentieth century. The landscape is marked by the industrial legacy of iron production, seen at Mahoning Furnace and McCrea Furnace, and the critical transportation corridors of the Pennsylvania R.R. and Pittsburgh and Shawmut R.R. Moving inland from the river, small clusters of settlement such as Rural Valley and Yatesboro serve as focal points for the surrounding townships. The intricate topography, detailed by twenty-foot contours, reveals the steep-sided valleys that dictated the placement of rail lines and early road networks. Genealogists can trace family holdings and small hamlets like Deanville, Goheenville, and Meredith as they existed before mid-century modernization altered the local character.