2024 Map of Sapa

About this map

The Big Black River Canal and Old Channel Big Black River dominate the lowlands of southern Webster County, reflecting a landscape heavily modified for drainage and water management. This 2024 survey documents the area around the settlement of Sapa and the western edge of Mathiston, where the Natchez Trace Parkway cuts diagonally through the terrain. The map is particularly rich for family history research, marking numerous burial grounds such as Red Hill African American Cem, Sapa Cem, and Lollars Grove Cem. These cemeteries, often tucked away on rural roads like Co RD 126 or Ticky Bend Rd, offer physical markers of long-established communities in this corner of the Deep South. The transition from the historic winding channel of the river to the straightened canal system illustrates the 20th-century engineering efforts to control the floodplain for agriculture and development.