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1919 Map of Smithfield

Name: 1919 Topographic Map of Smithfield
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1919
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1919

About this map

The Tidewater region of Virginia, as surveyed just after the Great War, reveals a landscape defined by its intricate waterways and early rail networks. Smithfield serves as a central hub near the confluence of Pagan Creek and the James River, where a steamboat route still connected these coastal communities to the wider world. The map illustrates a transitional period for commerce, showing numerous river landings such as Whitley Wharf and Nix Wharf alongside emerging overland corridors like the Norfolk Road.

Rural life is documented through the distribution of community anchors including Benns Church, Bethel Church, and local education sites like Stokes School. Moving south toward the upper reaches of the Dismal Swamp, the terrain shifts into low-lying marshlands and pocosons, such as Ross Pocoson and String of Logs Pocoson. The presence of the Virginian Seaboard Air Line and the Southern Coast Line near Nansemond indicates the growing influence of the railroad on the local timber and agricultural economy.