1912 Map of Welch

About this map

Welch serves as the central hub of this coal-country survey, where the Norfolk and Western RR snakes through tight mountain valleys to connect a dense network of company towns and shipping points. The landscape is defined by the steep ridges of Indian Ridge and the winding course of the Tug Fork, which dictated the placement of every settlement and rail siding. Early 20th-century life in McDowell County is etched into the map through numerous small communities like Hemphill, Marytown, and Davy. To the south, along the waters of Adkin Fork and Big Creek, intensive development is evident at Gary, Elbert, and Filbert. This map captures the region at the height of the early Appalachian coal boom, documenting the precise location of post offices like Hallsville PO and railroad junctions such as Clear Fork Junc before the landscape was further altered by decades of extraction.