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1904 Map of West Chester

Name: 1904 Topographic Map of West Chester
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1910
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1910

About this map

The borough of West Chester serves as the central hub of this early 20th-century landscape, characterized by a dense grid of streets and a radiating network of railroads. To the south and west, the serpentine course of Brandywine Creek and its West Branch anchor numerous small communities such as Copesville, Lenape, and Embreeville. The region is defined by its transition from the rolling hills of the West Bradford and East Goshen townships into the northern reaches of Delaware, crossing the Pennsylvania-Delaware boundary line.

Industrial and institutional sites are clearly marked, including the House of Refuge near the West Chester and Washington R. R. and the Henry Clay Factory along the southern waterways. The prevalence of family-named settlements like Taylor, Darlington, and Cheyney suggests a deeply rooted local genealogy, while the multiple lines of the Wilmington and Northern R. R. and the Baltimore and Ohio R. R. illustrate the intense rail activity supporting Chester County's economy before the era of modern highways.