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1955 Map of Silsbee

Name: 1955 Topographic Map of Silsbee
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1963
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1963

About this map

The Neches River forms a serpentine border between Hardin and Jasper counties, winding through a complex landscape of sloughs and bottomlands like Sand Slough and Bear Woods Flat. The town of Silsbee serves as the regional hub, situated at the intersection of the Gulf Colorado and Santa Fe and the At & SF railroads. This era was defined by intensive natural resource extraction, evidenced by the extensive Silsbee Oil Field and Beech Creek Oil Field that pepper the piney woods with wells and pipelines.

Industrial and community life are closely linked near the river, where the Wiess Bluff Pumping Sta and the Evadale Fire Lookout Tower stand as landmarks of infrastructure. Local heritage is preserved in numerous rural sites, including the Hook Cem and All Faith Tabernacle, which served the outlying timber and oil communities. The map also captures smaller rail-side settlements like Fletcher and Lumberton during their mid-century development.