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1947 Map of Tower City

Name: 1947 Topographic Map of Tower City
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1964
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1964

About this map

Deep-set valleys and parallel mountain ridges define this anthracite coal region as it appeared in the late 1940s. The settlement pattern follows the narrow corridor along Wiconisco Creek, where the Reading railroad serves a string of industrial towns including Williamstown, Tower City, and Reinerton. This era marks a significant point in the region's economic history, evidenced by the abandoned coal breaker located just north of Williamstown, signaling the shift in the local mining industry.

Social and civic life is anchored by local institutions like the Porter Township High School and several community churches including the Union Church and Lutheran Church in Orwin. To the south, the landscape becomes increasingly dominated by the steep, wooded slopes of Big Mountain, Stony Mountain, and Sharp Mountain, separated by remote waterways such as Fishing Creek and the Evening Branch Fishing Creek.