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1939 Map of St. Francisville

Name: 1939 Topographic Map of St. Francisville
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1961
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1961

About this map

The Mississippi River defines the southwestern edge of this landscape, where the alluvial lowlands meet the rising bluffs of West Feliciana Parish. This region is heavily marked by its plantation economy, featuring numerous named estates such as Magnolia Plantation, Doc Wright Plantation, and Rosalie Plantation. The terrain is deeply dissected by a network of waterways including Bayou Sara and Thompson Creek, which historically dictated the placement of early settlements and transport routes.

Social and civic life is anchored by institutions like the Solitude Agricultural Settlement and combined sites such as Afton Villa Ch & Sch. Transportation in the late 1930s relied on the Illinois Central (Woodville Valley) rail line, which threaded north through Wakefield and Laurel Hill. For genealogists, the map is a detailed record of small communities and family-named locales, including Plettenberg P. O. and cemeteries like Union Bethel Ch & Cem.