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1951 Map of Somerville

Name: 1951 Topographic Map of Somerville
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1951
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1951

About this map

Somerville stands as the central hub of this northern Alabama landscape, situated atop a plateau that drops sharply into the surrounding hollows and springs. The town is marked by its community institutions, including the Somerville School and Ward Chapel, with the nearby Campbell Cem and Northern Spring serving as focal points for local history. To the south, the terrain becomes increasingly complex as the flat agricultural lands give way to the prominent ridges of Brindley Mountain and Fairview Mountain, separated by the steep drainage of Brindley Hollow.

Rural life in the mid-20th century is detailed through scattered settlements such as New Center and Turney Crossroads. The map records a high density of family-named landmarks and springs, from Whitten Spring to Outlaw Spring, which supported the upland farms. Significant elevation changes are noted at Negro Mountain and Cedar Mountain, while the presence of several isolated country churches like Shiloh Ch and Mt View Ch underscores the dispersed nature of the county's social fabric during this era.