Loading map...

1915 Map of Somerset

Name: 1915 Topographic Map of Somerset
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1944
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1944

About this map

Laurel Hill and Laurel Ridge dominate this topographic study, defining the high-relief boundary between Westmoreland and Somerset counties. The landscape transitions from the valley of Loyalhanna Creek in the northwest to the intricate headwaters of Stony Creek and Quemahoning Creek to the east. This 1912–1913 survey documents a network of rural schools and family-named landmarks during a period of industrial expansion, notably the Quemahoning Tunnel and the developing rail infrastructure of the Baltimore and Ohio RR.

Settlement patterns follow the major transportation arteries, with Ligonier and Laughlintown serving as hubs along the historic Pittsburgh and Philadelphia Road. Genealogists will find a wealth of specific local data, including numerous small schoolhouses like Boucher School, Moore School, and Shaulis School, which anchored these upland farming and mining communities. The prominence of river systems like South Fork and Beaverdam Creek illustrates the importance of water power and drainage for the early twentieth-century economy in this portion of the Allegheny Plateau.