1997 Map of Swift Run Gap

About this map

The Blue Ridge mountains dominate this late 20th-century landscape, where the high-altitude route of Skyline Drive and the Appalachian Trail wind through Shenandoah National Park. Below the ridges, the map documents a network of rural communities including Bacon Hollow, Haneytown, and Mission Home, characterized by a high density of small mountain chapels and cemeteries. Places like Beldor Ch, Gibson Chapel, and Mt Olivet Ch reflect the deep-rooted religious and social centers of Greene County. The drainage patterns of the Roach River and Brokenback Run illustrate the complex terrain that separated these hollows from the larger valley settlements. From the Simmons Gap Ranger Station to the Dyke Sch, the map provides a record of land use at the intersection of protected federal wilderness and traditional Virginia Piedmont life.