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1965 Map of Skyland

Name: 1965 Topographic Map of Skyland
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1986
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1986

About this map

Buncombe and Henderson counties meet along a busy corridor of industry and infrastructure in the mid-1960s. The landscape is anchored by the French Broad River, which serves as a backdrop for the sprawling Asheville Steam Plant and its associated ash disposal areas and coal piles. Nearby, the Asheville Municipal Airport marks the regional shift toward modern transit, while the Southern railroad line still traces the valley floor, connecting the settlements of Fletcher and Brickton.

Away from the river flats, the terrain rises into the Pisgah National Forest and Bent Creek Experimental Forest, where ridges like Britton Mtn and Lance Mtn overlook a network of rural schools and churches. Local history is deeply etched in the landscape through sites like St Barnabas Ch, Mills River Chapel, and the Baker Cem, reflecting the area's established community roots before later 1970s developments began to alter the rural character.