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1904 Map of Waterbury

Name: 1904 Topographic Map of Waterbury
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1912
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1912

About this map

The Naugatuck River valley serves as the industrial and transportation spine of this early 20th-century landscape, anchored by the dense urban footprint of Waterbury. The topography reveals a complex network of manufacturing centers and rural hillsides, where the New York New Haven and Hartford R.R. follows the river's path to connect settlements like Waterville, Oakville, and Thomaston. To the northwest, the character shifts toward more recreation and agriculture around the expansive Bantam Lake and the village of Litchfield.

Genealogists and local historians can find a wealth of specific landmarks, from the family-named heights of Jefferson Hill and Hoppole Hill to the outlying hamlets of Minortown and White Oaks. The map also captures the transition from highland ridges to valley floors, notably at White Deer Rocks and Townplot Hill, illustrating the distinct geographic boundaries that shaped the development of Middlebury and Bethlehem before mid-century suburbanization.