1950 Map of Westernport

About this map

Westernport and the industrial corridor along the Potomac River anchor this mid-century topographic study, which captures the intersection of heavy rail and coal mining at the Maryland-West Virginia border. The landscape is defined by the sharp rise of the Allegheny Front and the Dans Mtn ridge, where extensive strip mining activity is documented alongside protected lands like the Savage River State Forest. The river valley serves as a critical transport artery, carrying the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and the Western Maryland Railway through mountain gaps to service company towns like Luke, Piedmont, and Bloomington. Purple revisions from 1979 indicate the transformation of the river valley with the creation of Bloomington Lake. Genealogical details include family-named sites such as Tichnell Cem and Sinkler Cem, as well as the Cross School and Duling Ch, providing a precise look at rural settlement patterns before modern development altered the terrain.