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1940 Map of Wesser

Name: 1940 Topographic Map of Wesser
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1940
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1940

About this map

Nantahala Gorge serves as the dramatic centerpiece of this 1940 survey, where the Nantahala River and the Southern Railway parallel one another through the deep mountain passes of the Nantahala National Forest. The map documents a landscape defined by isolated homesteads and small mountain communities like Wesser, Needmore, and Almond just before the mid-century. Significant for genealogy and local history, it identifies the locations of the Watia Ch, Wesser Ch, and several family cemeteries such as Tabor Cem and Breedlove Cem.

The survey also traces the early path of the Appalachian Trail as it winds across high points like Wesser Bald and through Tellico Gap. The presence of numerous small schools, including the Silvermine Sch and Watia Sch, reflects the dispersed nature of settlement in this part of Swain and Macon Counties during the early 20th century. Rugged terrain features like the Burningtown Ridge and Nantahala Mountains dominate the southern half of the sheet, illustrating the challenging topography that shaped the region's transport and development.