1944 Map of Seminole Hills

About this map

Seminole Hills and the surrounding pine-and-swamp landscape of the Florida Panhandle are captured here during World War II, showing a region defined by its complex hydrology and the engineering of the Intracoastal Waterway. The map illustrates the boundary where Walton Co meets Bay County, with the coastline featuring the expansive Powell Lake and its connection to the Gulf of Mexico at Philips Inlet. Small settlements like County Line Landing and Laird appear alongside the early coastal developments of Hollywood Beach and Sunnyside. The interior is dominated by named wetlands and branches, including Doe Head Swamp, Poley Islands, and Broomstraw Branch, reflecting a period when the timber and turpentine landscape was beginning to give way to permanent coastal road networks and navigation improvements. This survey highlights the intersection of natural drainage systems like Otter Creek and the man-made channel that would reshape the economic geography of the Gulf Coast.