1915 Map of Whitesburg

About this map

Whitesburg serves as the central hub of this 1915 survey, situated at the confluence of several mountain valleys where the Lexington & Eastern RR and the Louisville & Nashville RR meet. The terrain is defined by the sharp ridges of Pine Mountain and the Cumberland Mountains to the south, which form the Kentucky Virginia boundary. Settlement patterns follow the narrow bottomlands of the North Fork and Carr Fork, marked by numerous numbered schools such as School No 1 and School No 5 that served the dispersed communities of Blackey, Thornton, and Jeremiah. The map documents a landscape on the verge of significant industrial change, with the railroads recently penetrating the coalfields. Local landmarks like Camp Branch Chapel and Indian Bottom are recorded alongside smaller settlements like Maxpatch and Colson, providing a detailed view of eastern Kentucky's social and physical geography during the early twentieth century.