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1924 Map of Waverly

Name: 1924 Topographic Map of Waverly
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1924
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1924

About this map

The prairies of central Illinois are defined here by a dense grid of rural schoolhouses and the intricate path of early twentieth-century rail lines. Waverly and Auburn serve as the primary hubs in a landscape heavily utilized for agriculture, where small country schools like Hong Kong School, Mound Seminary School, and Prairie College School are spaced nearly every two miles to serve the farm families of the 1920s.

Transport is dominated by six different railroad operators, most notably the Illinois Traction electric interurban line running through Virden and Thayer. The convergence of lines such as the Chicago and Alton and the Wabash at junctions like Bates and Curran illustrates the era's reliance on rail for moving grain and passengers. Unique local landmarks like Highwater Mark School and the Rohrer Church offer specific touchpoints for genealogical research in this multi-county borderland between Sangamon, Morgan, and Macoupin.