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1926 Map of Waverly

Name: 1926 Topographic Map of Waverly
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1926
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1926

About this map

Central Illinois grain country and rail corridors define this 1920s landscape, where dozens of one-room schoolhouses served a dense network of farmstead families. The sheet reveals a remarkable concentration of rural education hubs, from the Hong Kong School and Highwater Mark School to the Prairie College School, documenting a localized social structure before the mid-century consolidation of school districts.

Major rail lines including the Wabash, the Illinois Traction, and the Chicago Burlington and Quincy converge on hubs like Waverly and Virden, highlighting the era's dependence on rail for agricultural export. Notable religious landmarks like McClain Church and White Pilgrim Church stand as anchor points for the rural townships of Maxwell, Talkington, and North Otter. The map captures the meandering courses of Lick Creek and South Fork as they weave between established settlements such as Loami and New Berlin.