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1939 Map of Sams Gap

Name: 1939 Topographic Map of Sams Gap
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1960
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1960

About this map

Sams Gap sits at the high-elevation divide where the Bald Mountains meet the Pisgah National Forest along the North Carolina and Tennessee border. This 1939 field examination by the Tennessee Valley Authority reveals a landscape of isolated mountain communities connected by narrow trails and creek-side roads. The concentration of family burial grounds and small houses of worship, such as Blankenship Cem, Robinson Cem, and Bright Hope Ch, reflects the deeply rooted social structure of these Appalachian coves.

Remote settlements like Faust and Higgins Chapel were served by local institutions including Shady Grove Sch and Halls Store. The early routing of the Appalachian Trail is visible as it traverses the high ridges from Rice Gap through Slipper Spur Gap. The drainage patterns of the Big Laurel Creek and its many branches like Puncheon Fork dictated the placement of nearly every homestead and schoolhouse in this steep terrain.