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1936 Map of Sams Gap

Name: 1936 Topographic Map of Sams Gap
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1936
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1936

About this map

Unaka National Forest defines this high-elevation landscape along the border of North Carolina and Tennessee in the mid-1930s. The terrain is structured by massive ridges including Snake Mountain, Divide Mountain, and the Walnut Mountains, which dictated the early settlement patterns of Upper Laurel and Grapevine Mountain. Along the narrow creek bottoms, small rural communities thrived around landmarks like the Flume Mill near Faust and a dense network of mountain houses of worship, including Higgins Chapel, Ebb Chapel, and Bright Hope Ch.

Social life in these remote coves was centered on local education and faith, evidenced by the many schoolhouses such as English Bright Hope Sch and Ivy Ridge Sch. The survey traces the Appalachian Trail as it winds through Sams Gap and Street Gap, providing a detailed record of the footpaths and early roads like State Highway No 36 that connected these isolated family settlements and cemeteries, including the Shook Cem and Shelton Cem.