1951 Map of Westplains

About this map

The Tennessee Valley Divide snakes through this 1951 topographic study of Graves County, separating the headwaters of numerous creeks in a landscape defined by small family farms and rural congregation points. The settlement of Westplains sits near the divide, while the eastern portion of the sheet is dominated by the broad West Fork Casey Bottoms and the meandering West Fork Clarks River. This era shows a community deeply rooted in its local institutions, evidenced by the high density of country churches and family burial grounds like Shelton Chapel, Gough Cem, and Cartwright Cem.