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1919 Map of Suffolk

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

USGS Topo · Published 1919

About this map

The Nansemond River headwaters and the city of Suffolk serve as the hub for a dense network of early 20th-century transportation. Six major rail lines, including the Seaboard Air Line and the Norfolk and Western, converge on the city, illustrating its role as a vital timber and agricultural gateway. To the east, the vast Dismal Swamp dominates the landscape, carved by the Jericho Canal and Washington Ditch.

Rural life is marked by numerous family-named poconsons and schools, such as the Noah Howell School and Baines Hill School. The map records a landscape transitioning between the developed rail corridors and the wild wetlands of the Holly Grove region. Researchers will find exact placements for vanished rural post offices like Purvis Sta Buckhorn PO and small settlements like Whaleyville along the Atlantic Coast Line, providing a clear view of the Virginia-North Carolina borderlands before modern suburban expansion.