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1893 Map of Sutton

Name: 1893 Topographic Map of Sutton
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1907
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1907

About this map

The Elk River winds through the heart of this Central West Virginia landscape, anchoring the settlement of Sutton during a period of industrial expansion at the end of the nineteenth century. The arrival of the West Virginia and Pittsburg Railroad is evident, tracing a path through Burnsville and down toward the southern river valleys. This infrastructure connected previously isolated timber and milling communities like Bealls Mills, Stouts Mills, and Cedarville to wider markets.

Deeply dissected plateaus are marked by dozens of named summits, including Sugar Knob, Fisher Knob, and Locust Stump Knob, which defined the early boundaries and homesteads of the region. The map captures the distribution of rural life across Gilmer, Braxton, and Nicholas counties, from the larger town of Glenville to small crossroads and post offices such as Needmore, Shock, and Normantown. These labels reveal a network of small-scale agriculture and early extraction that preceded the extensive modern coal and gas developments of the twentieth century.