1959 Map of Terra Alta

About this map

Terra Alta sits at a critical junction of mountain geography and rail infrastructure, dominated by the heavy tracks of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad slicing through the terrain. In the late 1950s, this area of Preston County served as a significant center for public health and local industry, marked by the expansive State Tuberculosis Sanitarium near Hopemont. The landscape is a complex of high ridges like the Briery Mountains and the Brushy Knobs, where small rural communities are anchored by numerous country churches such as Freeland Ch, Whitedale Ch, and Wesley Chapel. Along the waterways of Saltlick Creek and Snowy Creek, the map records a transition from traditional agriculture and small settlements like Rodemer and Freeport to more industrial activities, including a Quarry and a Lime Plant Sch.