1944 Map of Somerset

About this map

The crest of Laurel Hill divides this portion of the Laurel Highlands, separating the drainage of Ligonier from the plateau of Somerset. This 1944 survey captures a critical moment in American transportation history, showing the relatively new Pennsylvania Turnpike cutting across the landscape alongside the older Lincoln Highway and the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia Road. The map reveals a dense network of rural infrastructure, including a staggering number of named one-room schoolhouses such as Hermitage Sch, Master Sch, and Samuels Sch, which served the farming communities clustered around Jennerstown and Boswell. The presence of Sipesville Station and Rector Byers Sta along the Baltimore and Ohio RR and Pennsylvania RR lines illustrates the continuing reliance on rail for moving coal and timber from the ridges to the industrial valleys beyond.